If She'd Only Let Love In
by RegalMadness
Summary: In order to celebrate their return from Neverland, the Charmings throw a Masked Ball in Storybrooke. Regina & Robin meet each other and their story can finally begin. Will Regina let love in? Will Robin fight for her? Can Regina find her happy ending? PS: Me and my friend started writing this fic right after episode 3x03. But we only decided to post it now. We don't own aything.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1 **

Regina felt lonely. After the mission in Neverland had been accomplished, she had some hope that Henry would finally go home with her. She deserved this. She didn't understand what she had to do for him to see that she was his mother and that she loved him with all her heart. He was all she had left. She raised him, soothed every fever, was there for him in every part of his life. She went to take a shower, trying to get rid of all these thoughts in her mind. She had received an invitation to a Ball. Ruby had organized it to celebrate their return home. "An excuse to flirt with every single men in town" she thought to herself. She was still deciding whether she was going or not. The thought of seeing all those idiotic faces in front of her was disgusting. But Henry would be there, and she knew she had to try getting closer to him one more time. "Or maybe I'll just go for the free food" she considered.

Everything in Storybrooke was quiet today. Everyone in their homes, getting ready… the huge ball was about to happen. Now, all the lights were focusing on one huge room, that would be the place to the big Ball, honoring the complicated family which had just returned from a successful task. Everyone was safe; the town was under the cloaking spell Belle had cast the day they left to Neverland.

By 8pm, most people were already there. The Charmings wore something much like they used to in the Enchanted Forest. Emma, much to her dislike, was wearing a beautiful light blue dress, customized for her, by her mother. Henry looked like a little knight himself.

At approximately 9pm, purposely late, Regina arrived to the Ball. She was not sure whether she was wanted there or not, the town people still hated her, but well, she was invited after all. The minute she opens the door, the room goes silent. No one could take her image out of their head, she was stunning, much like she used to be when she was Queen. She wore a beautiful long red dress, her hair was pulled back, in a bun. Her make-up was light, but glowing beautifully and something about her that day made the people actually take a step back, but this time it was not because she was crashing a wedding to threaten to cast a curse, but because she was glorious, in all ways, and no one could disagree.

After saying a discreet "hello" to Snow, David and Emma, she went up to Henry, and after giving him a hug she said:

"You look so handsome, young man".

"Thanks mom. You look beautiful too." Henry answered.

She was not used to being complimented by her son very often, but she knew that he meant it, because if there was one thing she knew how to use as her advantage was her beauty. She was beautiful, and she knew that. She saw a small child, he must be 4 or 5 years old, she thought. He was pulling Henry's pants, trying to convince him to play with him. She didn't know who this cute little boy was, but she assumed it was someone's son. She walked away from everyone and went somewhere quieter to get a drink.

On the other side of the room, far away from everyone, was Robin Hood. He wasn't really good at starting conversations, but, aside from his Merry Men, he didn't really know anyone there. He was only beginning to get familiar with this new land, he had arrived a few weeks before, and he was still learning about electricity and TV's. He had brought Roland with him and right now he could see that his little boy was nagging an older boy, pulling his pants and talking to him. He went there to check on his son and make sure he wasn't bothering the other boy. When he approached, he noticed a beautiful woman walking out. He got closer in order to take a better look at her but by the time he got there, she was already leaving. He could see her back and the way she walked. She wasn't wearing a mask, which was weird, since this was a Masked Ball.

Not much to do, not many people to talk to. He found Neal, in a corner, and went up to talk to him. After a much welcoming chat about how things were going, he decided to get a drink… and that's when he saw her properly. She was a few meters away from him, with a glass of wine. He stopped for a moment:

"Who is that woman?" he asked Neal.

"You don't know who she is? She is the Queen. You've probably heard of her before. Everyone knows her." Neal answered.

"Oh, right! I've heard about her. I know who she is." Robin answered quickly.

Of course he knew who she was. Everyone knew. It was no secret to anyone that she had cast a curse that sent everyone here, to this land. Yet, from all the stories he had heard about her, he knew now that at least one story was completely true: her beauty.

**END OF 1****ST**** CHAPTER**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2 **

Nothing in that Ball seemed interesting for Robin. Except, maybe, the woman who had just walked in. Everyone was wearing a mask, but not her. He thought to himself "well, who would want to hide that beauty". He observed her for a while, something about her made him feel curious. She was all alone in that room, away from everybody, and he knew that most people there hated her and he knew she must have a great self-confidence to come to a place where people wanted her head on a plate. He started to approach her, maybe only to find out the reason why she was so feared. He saw her going outside in the yard for some fresh air, and that's when he made his move.

"Hey! What are you doing here all by yourself?" – He said. This made Regina jumped a little. She didn't expect anyone to come talk to her.

"Well, I needed some fresh air. May I ask... who are you? I've never seen you here before, and I know everything!" She says with an arched eyebrow.

"It's a long story, really. I'd be happy to tell you, if you let me buy you a drink." He noticed she had a mark near her mouth. A beauty mark. It drove him crazy.

"Save it!" – She answered in her usual sassy way. She didn't know what he was up to, but she didn't like it. She started to walk away and he ran after her.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I didn't mean to scare you away." – He said with a smile.

"You didn't. I just don't want to be bothered."

"Fine. Let's take things slow. Why aren't you wearing a mask? You're the only one! Haven't you been in a Masked Ball before?" – He asked politely.

"Different time, different circumstances. I'm tired of hiding, that's all." – She shrugged and started to walk away again.

"My name is Robin, by the way!" – He shouted, trying to make her turn her back to notice him. But she just kept walking away.

Something about that answered made her even more mysterious. Why would she say that? As far as he was concerned, she never hid from anyone or anything. In fact, she is known to everybody as a woman who is not afraid of anything. But he decided that moment that he would figure her out. He wanted to get closer to her, he loved new and exciting things and everyone in this town seemed to be a bit boring. But not her, she was a mystery that he wanted to unfold.

Regina went home earlier that night. She went up to Henry, who was with his family, said goodbye to him and made her way back to her house. She was still thinking about that man, Robin, and why he suddenly decided to talk to her. He was well dressed and had an amazing accent, and even behind that mask that covered his eyes, she could see that he was good looking. But why would he talk to her? He definitely must have heard about her fame, and if he didn't, he would hear it. Someone will tell him all about her evil doings and how she was to be feared and hated. She didn't mind, at all. She just focused on resting in her bed, now that she had been sleeping in the woods for so long. She didn't want to think about that man who had talked to her, because she knew it wouldn't go further than that anyway.

**END OF 2ND CHAPTER **


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

That morning was the same for Regina. She woke up, took a long shower, got dressed and went down stairs to have breakfast. Seeing that empty kitchen still hurt her. No matter how many days passed by, she still had that feeling of loneliness when she didn't find Henry there, waiting for his breakfast before going to school like he used to do every morning. She tried to take that away from her head while she decided what she would eat. She suddenly stopped when she opened the refrigerator: "Dammit! It's empty. I have to go grocery shopping as soon as possible".

After going to Grannys to have a well-deserved breakfast, she went in to the grocery store, with a list in her hands. She made sure she bought Henry's favorite cereal boxes, just in case he decided to spend some time with her. She was distracted, picking things, when she suddenly felt a hand gently tap her shoulders:

"Hey, you disappeared last night without saying goodbye. I looked for you, but I couldn't find you" – Robin said. Regina looked at him. It was the first time she was seeing him without the mask. He was really handsome and charming, and he had a great smile. She smiled at him and said, in a lighter tone:

"I went home. But why the sudden interest?"

"Well, how couldn't I be? You seem like a very interesting person." – He said seriously, and something about his tone showed her that he meant it. He did find her interesting.

Suddenly, a little boy came up behind Robin. The little boy was shy and kept looking at Regina with curious eyes. It was the same boy Regina had seen the day before in the Ball, near Henry. He was a beautiful and adorable boy and Regina couldn't help but smile to him. She loved kids, that was no secret, and somehow she remembered Henry, when he was that age, hiding behind her, grabbing her hand.

"Oh, and who is that adorable little boy?" – She asked.

"It's my son, Roland. He's is four."

"Hey Roland, I'm Regina, nice to meet you." – She said smiling.

"Wow, I finally got your name! I guess my son won you over." – He joked.

"He's adorable. But why is he hiding behind you? Is he afraid of me?" – She asked, suddenly lowering herself to face the little boy. Robin noticed how her body moved majestically and her body posture was always graceful. It made him think of how there could be such a beautiful woman in the world.

"No, no! He's just not used to having many strange people around him, you know. Aside from my friends, he doesn't know many people. Everything is new to him, he's getting used to it."

"What about your wife?" Regina asked, trying not to look interested in the answer. She made it look like it was just a casual question.

"My wife died, it's a long story. It's hard being a single parent, you know?" His eyes suddenly went sad. Regina wondered how he became a single parent; she could not help but feel sorry for him. She could see the pain in his eyes, a pain that she was very familiar with, a pain she knew very well. She just had to ask:

"Oh, I know that feeling. I'm a single parent too. I mean, I was… I'm not sure anymore." – She answered, her eyes looking down, with a sad tone in her voice, and then added: "Do you mind me asking…what happened to your wife?" She was now facing him again, looking in his eyes.

"She died when Rolland was born. She was very sick, but she lived long enough to have him. And since then, it's just me and him" – He looked sadly toward Rolland. She knew that feeling very well. When she had Henry, it was just her and him. Now she had no one, and the son she loved with all her heart abandoned her.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry!" – She answered with the purest sympathy. He could see that she meant it! Maybe she understood him. He wanted to ask more about her too and what had happened to her, but he decided it was not the time. So he went with a simple question.

"So, you have a son too?"

"Yes, his name is Henry. But he doesn't live with me anymore now. It's a long story."

"I'd be happy to hear it."

"This is not the time, really. But I have many of Henry's old toys back in my house. I could give them to your son, he will love it!"

"Oh, really? I'd appreciate that very much."

"Well, then! I will put them all on a bag and hand them to you. You can meet me at Granny's later, is that ok?"

"Ok, We'll be there."

The day passed with nothing much happening. Robin couldn't wait to meet Regina. He saw how her face glowed when she saw Roland. And despite all the stories he had heard of her, he could not contain the urge to know more about this beautiful and sad woman. Maybe she just needed someone who could understand her, maybe she just needed a friend. He wanted to figure her out more than ever, he was really looking forward to meeting her, and it scared him of how much she affected his senses. Right now, he looked like a teenage boy on his first date, and that wasn't even a date. She probably would never date a guy like him, anyway. He was a thief, a widower and a single parent. Not someone she would fall in love with. But he couldn't help it. He got up, dressed up and went to Granny's to meet her, carrying Roland in his arms. When he got there, she was already sitting at a table, with a bag full of toys next to her. She smiled brightly towards him, which he assumed was meant for Roland, not him.

"Hello there Rolland! Look what I got you." – She said to the boy, looking in his eyes, with a glowing smile on her face. Robin was right, that smile was not for him. Not at all. The fact that she decided to talk directly with Rolland, and didn't even look at his face made him a little upset. It's like she only saw Rolland there. She started showing the toys to the boy, and he noticed how good she was with kids, because Rolland suddenly started to be more comfortable around her and both of them were bonding for a moment. A minute went by, before he broke the silence:

"Well, I'm pretty sure he will love all these toys. Look, I guess he already has a favorite". He pointed out to Rolland, who was already playing with a plastic dinosaur.

"He will have plenty of toys now! And here in this bag there are some clothes too, if you don't mind. Henry outgrew them and I was going to throw them away but I never had the courage to do it. Giving them to him seems like the best option!" – She answered, with a serious face.

"Should we order something?" – Robin asked, without knowing what do to. That woman seemed unapproachable.

"No! I should be going home now. But thank you, and goodbye." – She said, before turning to Rolland: "Goodbye Rolland, I hope you like these toys".

"Thank you". – Rolland answered, smiling back at her. She could help but feel extremely happy. That boy was really adorable.

"You're very welcome, Rolland" – She said to the boy, then she turned to Robin: "I'm afraid I have to go now. Goodbye.

She started walking towards the door, when she felt a hand touch her shoulder, again. Her legs trembled, she was not used to this, she didn't know what do to. She felt attracted to him but she didn't want to let it show.

"Thank you!" – He said, still touching her shoulder, in a firm but gentle way.

She turned around slowly, and looking in his eyes, she answered:

"No problem!" – she couldn't take his hand off her. I mean, she could, she just didn't want to. But she decided it was not appropriate and people may start talking, so she removed his hand from her, saying, with a sassy tone: "Well, you do have a thing for touching me, right? If I were you, I'd keep your hands away, that is, if you still want to have them". – She smirked.

"Then why don't you just let me take you out for dinner?" – Robin asked. He wasn't sure of her answer, but he hoped that, after her little bonding time with Rolland, she would say yes.

"Yes! I mean… we shall see." Regina was really nervous and she was afraid that he would notice it, so she decided to play hard to get. She looked at her watched and pretended to consider the possibility, it as if it was nothing. She didn't want him to see that she was really excited about this. After a while, she turned to him and said: "Well, I think I'm free tonight, we can meet at 8 in a restaurant across the street".

He was still in shock that she had answered yes, he was nervous and surprised at the same time.

"Okay, then! It's a date!" – He smiled at her, and before he noticed, she was already opening the door to leave.

"Don't be late" – She said to him as she closed the door.

**END OF 3****RD**** CHAPTER **


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4 **

The day for Regina couldn't get better. Aside from the town meeting that awaited her at 2pm, her day was going perfect, and at night, she had a date. She was still unsure of how all of that had happened; she didn't know if this was going anywhere or why this guy asked her on a date in the first place. Could this be a trick? Maybe someone paid him to do it? Whatever that was, she was excited… and nervous. She just couldn't contain that feeling that everything would fall apart in a heartbeat. That's what she has been used to. Every time she has a little hope of something, it is crushed right before her eyes. She's been through this before, plenty of times. She went home, had lunch, took another shower and changed her clothes. That meeting was going to be really boring, but she was already used to it. The only difference now was that the people knew who she was and hated her even more than usual. But they also knew that no one could run that town like she did, and she's been doing that for 28 years. By 1:30 pm, she was leaving her house, dressed in an elegant silk red shirt, black skirt and high heels, which made her legs even better looking. She arrived at the Town Hall 15 minutes earlier, like usual. She hated being late and she hated when things didn't start at the time they were supposed to. She revised her notes on what the meeting was about, the topics which she would discuss, and was ready to go. She walked into what it would be a very long meeting.

Robin spent the rest of the day thinking about Regina. He looked forward to their date tonight and was already thinking about conversation topics in his head. His mind was so off, that he barely noticed Belle when she accidentally bumped into him:

"Oh, pardon me, I didn't see you there." – He apologized politely to the woman.

"Robin? Is that you? It's me, Belle! Remember me?" – Belle asked with an enthusiastic face.

"Hey, of course I remember. I'm sorry, my mind was somewhere else. How are you?" – He said.

"Well, I'm very good. Sorry, I haven't had the chance to talk to you since you came to Storybrooke. I would like to show you around, make you more familiar with the city. But unfortunately, I can't find the time. Things have been so busy at the library lately." – She apologized.

"Don't worry Belle. Roland and I have been doing just fine. Neal has been helping me with that. I'm starting to make new friends and finding out exciting people." – He said.

"Exciting people? Wow, that is news! What has been happening?" – Belle asked her friend.

"I met someone. It's too soon to say anything yet, but I think it could become something, or at least I hope it becomes something." – He answered.

"Oh, that's amazing. How did that happen?" – She asked curiously.

"I'm not sure how that happened. All I know is that I just can't get her out of my head. Something about her makes me want to be around her, you know. I have a date with her tonight and I'm very nervous." – He said, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, I want to hear all about it tomorrow and I think it's wonderful that you are moving on. But right now I must be going. I have a meeting in the Town Hall, with the Mayor, to discuss funds for the library. The Mayor wants everyone there." – She said. Belle knew about what had happened to his wife but she didn't want to bring that subject up.

"That's sounds interesting. Can I go too? At least, it will take things off my mind for a while and I can relax a little bit." – He asked Belle.

"Of course. But just don't ask her anything. The mayor is an arrogant person. I'm sure you will find out soon enough." – Belle said.

"Okay, I won't ask anything. I'm still just adjusting to the town; I wouldn't know what to ask anyway." – Robin answered, and they both walked together to the Town Hall.

The Town Hall was crowded and noisy. Many people were there, talking at the same time. Robin saw a few familiar faces there: Emma, David, Snow, Neal… all there. Except the one person he wanted to see. "_Belle said that everyone would be here_" he thought. And yet, there was no sign of Regina anywhere. He assumed she didn't come to those things, and he was ready to leave when suddenly he hears Belle whisper: "The Mayor is here." The whole room goes immediately silent. Robin could only hear the steps that echoed the entire room, as everyone turned their heads to look at the person entering the place. The Mayor. When he turned his head to look at the person, his heart stopped for a moment. No wonder Regina was not there. She IS the Mayor. "_Of course she is_!" he thought to himself and smiled, as he watched her take her seat in the Mayor's chair, elegant as usual.

After a few hours of endless debates, the town meeting was over. He watched every single movement she made, every single word she said, the way that she would raise her hand to make a point or how she had such great sense of self-confidence when she spoke. He just couldn't take his eyes off her. She was not only beautiful, she was smart too. Everything she said made perfect sense. She was eloquent and beautiful. She probably didn't even notice him there, watching her. She was too busy anyway. He started feeling proud of himself because he had a date with the woman who was probably desired by the whole kingdom.

When the meeting ended, he noticed that Regina was still talking to some people, probably making final considerations. Belle went up to talk to her and he decided to go along. Now was the perfect opportunity for him to talk to her.

It was already 4 pm when Regina left the Town Hall. The meeting had taken longer than usual, and she still had some paperwork to sign. She looked at the clock and realized it was time to go home to get ready for her date. She saw Robin there, watching her. She didn't want him to notice it. But she was glad that he was there. He was the first person she spotted when she sat down. His face immediately stood out, she couldn't help but smile inside, thinking of how happy she was that someone was actually admiring her. Many people came to talk to her to discuss a few things. She was tired, she just wanted to go home, she didn't want to deal with these lunatic people anymore. These 2 hours were enough. She managed to scare them away and she was ready to go home when she saw Belle approaching her: "_Oh, no. That sickening little shit is coming to talk to me_" she thought. She was ready to say a few rude words when she saw Robin. Her heart skipped a beat for a moment. She didn't know what do to. She didn't think he would come talk to her, but here he was.

"Hello Madam Mayor!" Robin greeted her, with a smirk.

"Hey." She smirked back, with an arched eyebrow. It was the only thing she could say, anyway. Belle pretended she didn't see their interaction and started speaking to Regina.

"Regina, I wanted to talk to you about some library funds this month" Belle said.

"Well, dear, I do remember discussing that on my list. It was item number 8." – Regina answered, trying to remain as politely as she could.

"Yes Regina. But you weren't exactly clear of what your plans were for the library. I have some doubts.

"Well, of course you have some doubts; I would have been surprised if you hadn't." Regina said, regretting it immediately. This whole plan of trying to be polite wasn't working. It was no news for her that Belle was slow in understanding things.

"If you could clear that up for me, I would appreciate it." Belle answered, trying to ignore Regina's rude comment.

"Not today, I'm sorry. You can leave your doubts in my office tomorrow. I promise I will write it all out for you. Detail by detail." Regina said, using her hands to describe the situation. She noticed that she got a smile from Robin, who was paying close attention to everything she said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go, I have things to do." Regina answered quickly and started walking away, leaving a startled Belle behind. Robin followed her and asked:

"So, that meeting… you handed it pretty well."

"Well, I'm used to it. It's been a while." Regina answered.

"Okay, now I will leave you alone, since you have somewhere to be in a few hours, right?" He winked at her, smiling, and she returned the smile.

"Yes. See you soon!" She answered.

"Can't wait." – He spoke, watching her leave.

She got home, took another shower, chose a beautiful red dress. Red was her color, she knew it. Her hair and make-up were flawless, as usual. She sat and waited for a while, she was nervous. "_It's just a date_" she kept reminding herself. She didn't want to be late, but she didn't want to get there too early either. When it was about 7.30, she got up, ready to leave.

Robin kept pacing around the room, he was excited and scared. He didn't know what to expect from her and this made the situation even more appealing. He bought her flowers, but then he thought it would be too much for the time, she might feel pressured, so he decided that he was going to take things slowly. Flowers would come the next day, in case the date went well. He was living with Rolland in a rented room at Granny's, and Ruby offered to babysit Rolland for the night when she found out that he was going on a date with someone. He bought the best suit he could find. He was still getting used to this type of clothing, but he didn't want to disappoint her by dressing in a different way.

At 7.45 pm he got to the restaurant, he didn't want her to arrive earlier than him. By 8 pm, his anxiety increased. She would be there any minute now. He looked at the door, waiting to see her entrance. Two hours went by… she never came.

**END OF CHAPTER 4 **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I'm posting the new chapter today. I just wanted to thank you all for your amazing reviews! Please keep commenting. I loved your thoughts! Thanks.**

**CHAPTER 5**

Robin could not believe what had just happened. Regina stood him up. He was angry, he wanted to call her, go to her house and ask her why she didn't show. But there was a problem: he didn't even know where she lived. He went to bed and decided to give her a chance of explaining. He wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe something happened, maybe she fell sick or maybe she had problems with her son. Now that he started thinking about it, he started to worry. Tomorrow he would try to talk to her. He didn't know where she lived, but he knew where she worked. She was the Mayor after all, she couldn't be anywhere else.

In the morning, he left his house and went to the City Hall where he knew she would be. He expected her to be at home, sick or something. I mean, of course there was a serious reason for her not showing up, right? He got there earlier than he expected, she had not arrived yet. He waited a few minutes and there she was, getting out of her car. He didn't want to appear like he was stalking her, so he waited for her to enter and decided to walk around for half an hour before he went in. She was in her office, getting ready to start the day. He knocked and after hearing a "come in", he entered.

"Hey!" He said. It was the only thing he could say. He waited for her to apologize immediately and say what happened.

"Hey…" Regina smiled, uncomfortable. She was embarrassed about standing him up the night before, but she had her reasons. She was thinking of how she would explain it all to him, when he suddenly spoke, with an angry tone.

"I thought you could at least tell me why you didn't show last night. I mean, I waited for two hours and then all I get is a 'hey'"? He said, furiously. He didn't want to be too harsh, since he really didn't know what had happened, but he could tell by the way she looked at him that it was nothing serious. She didn't even apologized when he entered the room, which was what he was expecting. He felt like she didn't care enough to explain herself.

Regina was in shock with his behavior and just stood there for a moment, perplexed. He appeared in her office too early in the morning, like she was his girlfriend or like she owed him something. She felt awful, of course, she had not planned standing him up, but there was no way she would let a man walk into her office and be rude to her like this.

"Excuse me?" She said, with an outraged look. "Listen, I don't know what makes you think you can speak like this to me. I had a reason for not showing yesterday and I was going to explain it to you as soon as I saw you, but you didn't even give me time. I'm not a person who skips appointments or stands people up, so if I didn't show it was because I had enough reason to."

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to appear rude, and I know it was just a date, but I would still like to know what happened. I was worried." He said, trying to apologize. Losing his temper was not something he was used to. In fact, he didn't really know why he was so upset about this. He is not a man to care much for these things, and yet here he was, demanding explanations from a woman he met 5 minutes ago.

"Well, as I told you, I have a son. We have been having some problems lately, but yesterday, when I was leaving my house, he texted me, saying he wanted to have dinner with me. I just couldn't say no, I couldn't miss this opportunity, he means too much for me and I couldn't let you know because I don't have your number and I don't know where you live". Regina said, oblivious to the fact that probably Robin didn't even know what a telephone number was.

"You're right, you did the right thing. Your kid comes first, of course. I would have done the same thing if it was my son. My sincerest apologies." Robin said, feeling guilty of his over-the-top reaction.

"I have my priorities, Robin. I think you should know that, I'm a busy woman." Regina says, and immediately regrets her rude tone when she notices Robin's sad look on his face. Why did she have to be such a bitch sometimes? Regina gets up from her chair, gets closer to him and says: "I'm sorry. I feel horrible for standing you up. Is there a way I can make it up to you? Maybe I can get a few new clothes for Rolland…"

"Regina, I just wanted to get to know you" Robin answers, cutting her off.

"Well, this is a mistake, Robin." Regina says with an embarrassed smile.

"Regina, you are so… strange."

"Thank you very much, dear. You do know how to charm a lady." Regina answers sarcastically.

"No, I meant it in a good way. You're a mystery… a fascinating mystery." He answers back, staring in her eyes with a confused look in his face, like he was trying to figure her out and read her emotions.

"Hum.. now I have a feeling you have forgiven me already for standing you up." She says, with a cocky smile, when she notices him staring at her like he was hypnotized.

"Maybe. But you still have to find a way to make it up to me. I'm a sensitive guy, you know." He says, joking and laughing. The mood was already getting lighter.

"Name your price." Regina said, crossing her arms across her chest, still standing in front of him.

"Can we reschedule, then? Are you free tonight?" He asked.

"Actually, Henry is having lunch with me at my house today. If you want to come over, we can talk. It won't be a date or anything but I feel like I have to make it up to you. You can bring Roland. It will be good for him to have other kids around. Is that ok with you?" She asked.

"Sure. Roland will love it." Robin answered, kind of disappointed that the date wasn't really a date. But he would be at her house and their kids would meet. It was already something.

"Okay, then. Be there at 11.30 am, I will give you the address." Regina said, before writing her address in a paper and giving it to him, explaining exactly how to get there.

When she handed him the paper, their hands touched. She froze for a moment; she loved the feeling, she felt butterflies in her stomach. His hand was soft but strong. They said goodbye to each other and Robin left.

Regina felt relieved, somehow. This went better than she thought it would. She didn't think he would actually mind that she didn't show up, but he did, and it made her happy knowing that he went all the way there just to know what happened. She finished all her work and by 10:30 am, she went back to her house to start preparing lunch. Since she had guests, she decided to make her famous lasagna. Henry loved it, and to be honest, it was the only thing she was really good at making. Everyone loved her lasagna; she just hoped Robin would too. She went to talk to Henry, who was reading in his room, about their guests. She still really didn't know what had happened for him to want to spend the day with her, but she was happy. She put the lasagna in the oven and went upstairs to take a shower and get ready. Even though she said it wasn't a date, she wanted to impress him. She chose her clothes carefully and went down stairs prepare the table and wait for Robin to arrive.

At 11.25, Robin knocked on her door, with Roland on his lap. She opened the door, with a smile on her face - probably for Rolland, he thought. He noticed that she didn't smile much, but when she did, it was one of the most beautiful smiles he had ever seen in his life. There, standing at the door, she looked gorgeous. She was wearing a tight blue dress, which showed perfectly her curves. Her hair was down, she was wearing a beautiful golden necklace, and gorgeous high stiletto heels. She was beautiful. She welcomed him inside. "_Oh, boy. This is really going to be a mistake. She is going to make me crazy."_ He thought, before entering her house.

**END OF CHAPTER 5**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys! Here it is - chapter 6. Me and my friend would like to thank you for your reviews! They are all very appreciated. This chapter is very close to our hearts, one of our favorites! We loved writing it, and we hope you have fun reading it! Thank you, guys. Keep the reviews coming!**

**CHAPTER 6**

Robin walked inside Regina's house and he noticed she had great taste in decoration and furniture. Her house was impeccable, but that was no surprise, she used to be a Queen after all.

"You have a beautiful house. It's so big." Robin said, putting Roland on the ground.

"Thank you. I love being in a big place, I like to have plenty of space for myself." Regina answered.

"You look really beautiful." Robin said to her. He was afraid he was saying too much, but he just had to say something, she was stunning, how could he not notice it? And as much as he wanted to, he couldn't stop staring at her.

"Thank you, you look good too". She said embarrassed, but she had to admit that he did look wonderful. Although this was a new world for him, she acknowledged that he was doing a great job so far, especially when it came to choosing the clothes he would wear, which were not social but were perfect for the occasion. The cologne he was wearing was making her distracted, so she only smiled at him, hoping that he wouldn't see that she was blushing, before she quickly added: "Well, I'm going to call Henry to come down."

"Sure." He answered.

"Roland, do you want to come upstairs with me? I want you to meet someone, but I think you actually already know him." Regina said to the little boy, who was grabbing his father's leg. She knew he had met Henry in the Ball, so she assumed he would love to see Henry again.

"Yes." Roland said, a little shy.

"Well, let's go then." She quickly took his hand and they both walked upstairs.

Robin loved the scene happening in front of him. His son was bonding with Regina, he could see his son already liked her. Roland wasn't a fan of strangers and was always very attached to his father, and the fact that he was willingly grabbing her hand and going with her was a miracle. Robin saw it in his mind, he could have a life with this woman, they could be a family.

Regina and Roland knocked on Henry's door. Regina was happy that Henry would have someone to play and talk to. It will be good for him not to be around so many adults and so many responsibilities.

"Come in!" Henry answered.

"Honey, our guests have arrived. Look who I brought to see you. This is Roland." She said as she walked towards her son holding Roland on her lap.

"Hey there, young man. I believe we met the other night. Remember me? I'm Henry."

"Yes, I remember. Hi, Henry." Roland said, in his cute little voice, making both Henry and Regina smile at his cuteness.

"Lunch is ready, Henry. Come down!" Regina said to her son.

"Sure, mom. I'm just going to wash my hands. I'll be down in a minute". Henry answered, quickly getting up.

Regina went back to the living room, still holding Rolland. She saw Robin waiting for her near the table. Henry appeared and they all sat down at the table to eat. Between small talks and laughs, Regina and Robin were constantly exchanging smiles. This was natural for Robin, he was a people's person, but it certainly wasn't natural for Regina. She could feel herself lighter in their presence. For a moment she forgot how lonely and sad she was. The conversations were going great.

"So, is it cool there? In the Enchanted Forest?" Henry asked Robin, with curious eyes. The fact that he was seeing Robin Hood in front of him, having lunch with him and his mom, amused him. He wanted to ask so many things, he had so many questions.

"Yes, it is a delightful place to live. We don't get bored there." Robin answered, missing the days when he was stealing things and running from the law people in the forest.

"I imagine." Henry said. "How did you get to Storybrooke? I mean, I haven't seen you around before and I heard you lived in the Enchanted Forest until a few weeks ago, right?" Henry continued, before Regina added:

"Oh, I want to know that too. You said you would tell me. How did you end up in Storybrooke, after all?" She said, genuinely interested.

"Well, it's a long story, really. But I'm going to try to sum it up. As you all know, there was a part in the Enchanted Forest that wasn't affected by the curse. We were stuck there, and time was frozen for 28 years. That land was pretty much abandoned, with a few exceptions. A few weeks ago, Neal landed there, injured. Somehow he found himself in the castle I was living in. Rumplestiltskin's old castle. I helped him get to Neverland. But before he left, he told me all about this land called Storybrooke. He told me that everyone had gone there, and that it was a good place to live. We were barely living in the Enchanted Forest. There wasn't much to hunt, we were starving. It was getting more difficult getting food and supplies in a desert land. So I talked to my Merry Men and we decided to find a way to come here. There would be people here and a place to live and raise Rolland. After a while, we found a way to make a portal. When we got here, I was lucky enough to find a friend, Belle, who helped us and gave us shelter. We are staying at Granny's at the moment, while we search for a better place to settle."

Regina was watching him speak, he had a great accent, strong voice and he was really sweet. She found herself staring at him with a huge smile on her face. It was the first time she felt so comfortable around someone. She felt like they resembled a family. No, she didn't want to think about this. She erased this thought from her mind for now. She had just met him, why is he making her having these thoughts? This isn't her, she is not weak. Trying to cover her enthusiasm, she said:

"Wow, that's interesting. Storybrooke is a lovely place, you will like it here. It takes a little time to adjust to the new things, but in a while, you will get used to them."

Oh, yes. Tell me about it! Hot water in the shower, refrigerators, cars, televisions… I love all of this." He answered.

They all kept talking and laughing for about an hour. Henry was asking many questions and Regina was happy that he did, because she was getting to know more about this mysterious man she had met days ago. She wanted to know more about him, and for the first time she was glad her son was a curious boy.

"Regina, I have to say, this is delicious. The most wonderful meal I have ever had in my life. I'm serious. What is your secret?" Robin asked, charming as usual.

"Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, dear." Regina answered mischievously.

After they finished, Regina got up to get the dessert. She had made chocolate cake, Henry's favorite. She hoped that Robin and Roland would like it too. She excused herself from the table and went to the kitchen. Robin went right after her.

Now that they were in a kitchen, alone, Robin felt nervous. He saw how she bent over the counter to get the cake and he couldn't stop staring. She had awesome legs, her butt was firm and he could see her curves perfectly well. He didn't realize but his mouth was open in amusement.

"Like what you see, dear?" Regina joked. She should be offended, but she wasn't. The fact that she knew he was staring at her made her happy, made her feel desired, wanted. She turned to him and he was as red as a tomato.

"I'm so sorry Regina. I didn't mean to stare, it's just… you look incredible." He apologized, with his head down, embarrassed.

She didn't say anything, she just smiled.

"So…" Robin started, trying to get rid of the awkward situation that had just happened. "Henry is a great kid. You raised him very well."

Regina sighed.

"Oh, I wish it were that simple. Things have been complicated between both of us. I'm doing my best to get his affections and I think I'm making progress. But I still miss him very much when he is not here. I miss when I was his only mom and I was all he had". Regina said, trying really hard to hold back the tears that were just forming in her eyes. This subject still hurt her and she looked away, trying to hide her face from him.

He got closer to her, and being a few inches from her, he touched her shoulders. He was curious, he wanted to know more about it, but he knew that she was uncomfortable and bringing that subject up again would make her sad. He didn't want to see her said. He held her shoulders firmly and said:

"Listen, everything is going to be fine. You will see. I know it's hard, but he loves you. I can see it." He said, gently brushing a chunk of hair from her face. Regina jumped with the touch, she was not expecting it. She hadn't been touched this way since Daniel. She froze for a moment.

Robin noticed the change in Regina's face and immediately tried to make the environment lighter:

"So, I'm really not into these new tendencies of this new land." Robin said, pointing out to the mixer that was on the kitchen table, near Regina. She laughed at his humor and decided to join the fun, pointing out things along the way.

"Well, this is a mixer. This is an oven…" Before she could continue, Robin quickly added:

"Ok, that I know." He said, enjoying the funny expression of surprise she made. He pointed out to the microwave: "And what is that?"

"Well, _that_ is a device that makes all our lives better. I wish we had one of this in the Enchanted Forest, it would have been a relief to everybody." She said, with a smirk.

"And what about this?" He pointed out to her cellphone.

"Well, dear, that is a cellphone. We use it to make calls, to talk to people, to send text messages. It's really useful and you should buy one for yourself." Regina said, while carefully explaining to him everything he needed to know about a cellphone. Robin was paying close attention to her remarks. She handed him her cellphone and taught him how to use it. She was always so well-mannered and with the way that she spoke, you could never have guessed that she came from the same land he did. He accidentally takes a picture of her:

"Wow, I like this device". He said, admiring the photo he had just taken.

"Stop it." Regina said, trying to take the cellphone back from his hand, to erase the picture. He raised him arm, holding the phone out of her reach.

"What is wrong with it? It is a nice picture." He laughed, while she still tried to take the cellphone from his hand. "Why do I have to do to get the number of the most beautiful woman in town?" Robin said, while Regina struggled to get her phone back. After a few tries, she finally gets her phone back. She looks at her picture:

"God, I do look nice in that picture. And I wasn't even trying". She said, with a cocky smile on her face. Sometimes it was a shock even to Regina how she was effortlessly flawless.

"You don't have to try. It's your nature to look fabulous." Robin answered, getting closer to her. His sudden proximity made her involuntarily take a step back, but he continued getting closer until she was trapped against the wall, really close to his face. He gently touched her face, studying her expression.

"Well, you are very polite for a thief." She smiled nervously and looked down at her feet. In a weird way, she felt incredibly good with his presence.

"You have no idea of how people may surprise you." He said, smiling mischievously.

They both continued their little game for a while, and both of them were laughing, without a care in the world, while Regina explained to him how every device in her kitchen worked. She was giving him a class about technology in the modern world, making jokes and laughing with him, and he was enjoying every minute of it. Their bodies were relaxing and they found themselves loosing track of time.

She immediately stood up from the counter:

"Well, it's time for dessert. Let's go."

They went back to the living room. Henry and Roland were talking and Henry acted like a big brother to the boy, explaining things.

"Why did you guys take so long? Where were you doing in there? The dessert is the best part of lunch". Henry asked, after seeing his mother arrive.

"Robin was helping me get the cake. It got stuck. But it's all good now. Let's eat!" Regina answered, without looking at Robin.

They were all sitting in the table, eating quietly. Henry was almost devouring his plate and Roland was all giggly and happy, saying this was the best thing he has eaten his whole life. Robin could see that Regina was avoiding eye contact with him. He wondered if he had gone too far. It was not his intention, but they had such a good time. He loved the fact that he made her laugh and that was a part of her that he was sure not many people saw. Even though they had fun a few minutes earlier, he had that feeling that she was still a sad, broken woman. He wanted to make it better, he wanted to be a part of her life and make sure that she would have many days like this, and make her smile and laugh more often. He felt this urge to comfort her. He wanted to hug her, tell her everything was going to be alright.

After everyone ate, Henry took Roland upstairs to his room to play video games with him. Regina washed the dishes while Robin waited on the couch. He offered to help her, but she said it wasn't necessary. He decided that maybe she wanted to be alone for a moment, so he went back to the living room and waited there. A few minutes later, Regina comes back, holding a bottle of wine and two glasses. She sat beside him on the couch and offered him a glass of wine. They were alone now, again.

"He is an adorable kid, your son." Regina said, smiling to Robin. There was no way anyone could not love Roland, he was just too adorable. "I remember Henry when he was that age…" She suddenly stopped talking, as if she was remembering a long forgotten moment of her past, a past where Henry loved her, when she was his only mom, a past where they kept chasing each other around the house. Robin noticed Regina's sad expression and he hated seeing her like this. He wanted to say something and maybe if he got her to talk, it would make things better.

"Listen, I'm sorry if I made things uncomfortable for you in the kitchen. I don't want to push you into saying things, but if you want to talk about you and your son, you can talk to me. I'm a good listener and I know how it is to be a single parent." Robin said.

"Thank you, Robin. I appreciate it. I'm sorry, I over reacted. I'm not used to opening up to strangers, but now I have got to a point where I don't know about things anymore. I used to be so sure of everything and now I just don't know". She answered.

"Listen, we don't have to be strangers, you know. We can get to know each other. I mean, I would love to know more about you." He said. He saw that she was starting to open up to him, but he didn't want to push her. He wanted her to know that he could be trusted. "After my wife died…" He started talking, looking into her beautiful brown eyes. "I felt like my world was crushed. I couldn't imagine raising Roland all by myself, I freaked out. She was my whole world and suddenly she was gone and I had a baby to raise. For a while I was really depressed, but I knew that I had someone who depended on me, who needed me, and I was going to make sure he had the best life he could have. I know it must have been hard for you, but I also know it made you a better person. Kids do that, you know. They make you want to change for them, to be your best. And I owe that entirely to Roland. He is my whole world now. He is all I have."

Those words affected Regina more than she thought they would. She knew that feeling he was describing. Everything she went through with Daniel's death, with the curse, with the adoption of Henry and how it changed her. Having Henry in her life was definitely the best thing that had happened to her, and she was grateful for that. She knew that everything he had said was true and it shocked her of how much their lives were similar.

"Everything that you said it's true. Before I had Henry, I had no hope in life. I lost someone too, a long time ago. And I never got over it. That's why I cast this curse. I have done so many terrible things in my life, all because of revenge. I know that Henry is right for not wanting to live with me anymore. But it still hurts, a lot. Now he is there, living with his birth mother, who met him 5 minutes ago, while I get pushed away by everyone because of my past."

"I know. I have done many things which I'm not proud of. But that's what makes us who we are. We can't change that. All our pain, all our actions in the past, have to stay in the past. All we can do is get these experiences and turn them into something good, and learn how to live with them. Henry will come around, you will see. He is just a boy and he loves you very much. I can see it. You are his mother, and he knows that. He hasn't forgotten. Just give him time. He is actually asking to spend time with you, so that's already a good thing". Robin said, trying to make Regina feel better. He knew about her reputation, but he wasn't thinking about it. What he saw was a woman who had done terrible things in the past and wanted a second chance. Something that he could relate very well.

Regina stood there, looking in his eyes. Everything he said was beautiful. It was the first time someone cared about her. She felt safe to open up.

"I hope so. It's bad when you have people constantly reminding you of your past. Everyone here sees me as The Evil Queen. They all want me dead. I hate having to go around town and getting these looks from people. Some fear me, some despise me. Nothing I do will ever make them change their minds about me."

Regina's head was low, she was looking down. Robin raised his hand and touched her chin, making her look at him:

"I wish they could see you the way I do." He said.

"And how do you see me?" She asked, with a sad smile.

"As the most wonderful woman I have ever met".

They were getting closer, their hands touched, they were looking in each other's eyes. He caressed her face, pulling her closer to him, inches from her mouth. They closed their eyes, their lips almost touching, when suddenly they hear a huge bump coming from upstairs. They jumped in their seat, separating.

That situation was awkward, again. Both suddenly got up and ran upstairs to see what had happened.

"What happened?" Regina said, opening the door to Henry's room.

"Nothing, mom. Don't worry. We were playing and Roland got excited and accidentally knocked over the chair. It's all good". Henry explained to his mom.

"Hi daddy, look. I'm playing video-game" Roland said to his father, excited. He had never seen a video game before, obviously. But he loved it and he was having so much fun with it.

"I can see that, son. But I'm afraid we must go now." Robin said to his son.

"But already? It's too soon. Can't he stay a little longer?" Henry pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Henry. But we should really be going. Your mom has to go back to work and I don't want to take any more of her time." Robin answered.

"Well, it is true, I have plenty of work to do. But please, you should come back some time. It was really lovely having both of you here." Regina said, feeling a little sad that he was going.

"Anytime. I would love to spend the day with you again. It was great." He answered. He didn't want to leave, but he felt like he was taking her time and making things uncomfortable.

Robin got Roland, who was complaining a lot about leaving. After a few "I will buy you ice cream" sentences, he convinced the boy to go with him.

Regina followed Robin and Roland to the door. They were all really happy, the day was incredible. Neither of them had felt so good in years.

"Thank you for the lasagna. It was magnificent." Robin said, while Regina opened the door for him.

"No, I should thank you. It was nice talking to someone for a change." She smiled.

"Listen…" He said, already outside. "I really meant it when I said I find you incredibly wonderful. We should really do this again."

"We will. It was the most fun afternoon I have had in years." She answered. "Oh, and Robin… I think you are forgetting something." She said, walking back inside her living room. He stood there and watched, with curious eyes, while she got a piece of paper, a pen, and started writing something. She walked back to him, with the piece of paper in her hand and handed it to him. Robin looked at it – it was her number. He looked at her smiling, with a surprised expression.

"Wow, you never fail to surprise me, Regina."

"You better go before I change my mind and take it back." She said, with a smirk.

"Well, in that case, I should go." He said, quickly putting her number inside his pocket and turning around to leave. "Take care, Regina."

"You too." She answered.

She closed the door. She felt like she would pass out at any moment. Her legs were trembling. What the hell had happened? That image of their conversation on the couch and their almost kiss were stuck in her head. That moment was magical. Throughout the day, it was all she kept thinking about. She kept remembering when they were both in her kitchen and how he made her laugh. It was so good to laugh again; she didn't even remember when was the last time she laughed so hard and felt so relaxed and happy around someone. She couldn't concentrate at work, she couldn't do anything. His words, his touch, his smell… She had a feeling that she couldn't explain, her stomach hurt. Could she be sick? She didn't know. That feeling was bad and good at the same time.

Robin got home, after buying ice cream for Roland, who was yawning in his lap, his eyes almost closing. He put Roland in his bed and he felt asleep in a few minutes, exhausted. After tucking him in, Robin sat on the bed. He kept thinking about Regina. Her eyes, her hair, everything. He kept staring at the window, counting the hours to see her again. He decided to take a shower, to clear his head. He enjoyed the hot water. He kept thinking about what she had said to him. When he first saw her in that Ball, he wanted to figure her out. She was a mystery he wanted to unfold. At the time, he didn't know what made him feel so drawn to her and why he felt so offended when she didn't show for dinner the night before.

But now he knew, he was sure. He was completely, madly in love with Regina Mills, the Mayor… the Queen.

**END OF CHAPTER 6**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys! Sorry for the delay. College got in the way. Thank you for your reviews! We will try to update more frequently, but please hang with us. The finals are approaching so it will be a little complicated. Enjoy this new chapter. Next update will be soon, hopefully! Xo**

**CHAPTER 7 **

The morning started off pretty well for Robin. Still dreaming of the day before and the moments he shared with Regina, he quickly got up to walk around town for a moment. He had to get a job as soon as he could. It was taking longer than he expected, really. He had many skills, of course, but he was an outlaw for so long he couldn't even remember the last time he had a job. He didn't even know where to begin. Suddenly, he hears an enthusiastic voice behind him:

"Hello Robin, good morning!" Snow says to him. They have known each other for a long time, since Robin helped Snow when she was running from the Queen. He was the one who taught Snow archery and everything she knew about living in a forest, becoming a bandit.

"Good Morning. How are you?" Robin answers. This couldn't have come in a better time.

"I'm good. What are you doing around town so early in the morning?" Snow asked.

"Well, I am looking for a job. Do you know about anything available?" Robin asked Snow. He could use her help now.

"Oh, why didn't you tell me sooner? I can check that out for you in the school I teach. I'm sure they must have something for you. I'm on my way there and I'll let you know if I find anything interesting for you." Snow answered.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." He said, and both went their separate ways.

The day went by quickly for Regina. It was already afternoon and she hadn't had much time to think about anything other than work. She didn't want to think about what had happened yesterday. It was a moment of weakness. "Why would I talk to a stranger about my life?" she thought. She didn't regret almost kissing him, but she did regret opening up. This wasn't her. He was trying to make her weak, and he almost succeeded. She almost felt for his charms. Almost. Now, she needed to put that mask back on and move on with her life. She was now lying in her bathtub, with a glass of wine in her hands. The thought of those moments in her kitchen with Robin were driving her insane. She didn't want to open up but she knew that she hasn't felt like this way in ages. It never crossed her mind that she could want a man so much! But this was happening and she didn't know how to proceed. But there was no way he could stay with her. One day the people in this town will talk about her, the horrible things she did and they will make it their mission to poison him against her and then, in the end, he would finally see her as The Evil Queen, and, as usual, he would leave her. They wouldn't work together anyway, right? Another person who wanted to change her? No, she's had enough. It would end up badly anyway. It always does.

Robin was sitting at Grannys when Snow walked in, with great news.

"Guess what? I got you a job!" She said, smiling.

"Really? Where?" He asked, happy.

"In my school. They needed a Physical Education teacher and I told them about you and put out a good word for you. There are so many things you can do, so many things you can teach. The kids will love it. The principal said you can start next week, if you want." She said.

"Oh, that's great. Thank you so much, Snow! How can repay you?" Robin said. He loved Snow like she was his little sister.

"Repay me? I owe you so much. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have made that far." She said. He had saved her life innumerous times when she was a bandit. He taught her how to fight, how to live in the forest, how to get food. Getting him a job was nothing compared to what he had done for her.

"Don't think about it, Snow. You don't owe me anything."

"Tomorrow you can come to work with me so I can introduce you to the people there, show you around, make you more familiar with everything. I will wait for you here at 7:30 am, since I always come by to get breakfast anyway. Is that ok?" She said, smiling.

"Sure! I'll be waiting." He answered.

"Well, I should be going now. It was nice to see you, Robin."

"You too."

Now finally Robin had a job. He was bursting with happiness. Now he was a working man, a teacher. This was even better that he expected. He had to see Regina, he had to tell her the news. He was now an employed man! He got up to go to the City Hall, where he knew he would find her. He was so happy that he just wanted to burst through her office's door and give her a breathtaking kiss. Maybe they could celebrate by going somewhere. At least he could use that as an excuse to go out with her again. When he got there, he politely knocked on her door.

"Who is it?" Regina answered. She hated being bothered.

"It's me, Robin." He said, behind the door.

"What do you want? I'm a little busy at the moment." She shouted through the door, with an annoyed face. She felt angry with herself when she realized she was happy to hear his voice. This was not supposed to be happening.

"I have great news. Can I come in?" He answered. His heart was beating so fast.

"Just make it quick, please! I don't have the whole day" She shouted again.

"Guess who got a new job?" He said, making his usual charming face, entering the office and closing the door behind him. Regina looks up to meet his eyes, without saying a word, and then goes back to her paperwork. She couldn't care less. He keeps waiting to see her reaction but she is still treating him like he doesn't exist. He takes a closer look at her: she is sitting at her desk wearing a black tight dress with a cleavage that shows a little of her lacy bra and her legs are crossed under the table. This bitch had to be so beautiful?

"So, anything else?" Regina finally asks. Robin pretends he didn't hear it and seats at the table right in front of her.

"Snow got me a job at the school she works, as a P.E. teacher." He says, with an amusing voice.

"Well, dear, do you want a friendly advice?" She asks, bringing her body closer to him, smiling sarcastically: "If I were you, I'd stay away from that idiot. She is a snake."

"Come on, darling, you don't have to be jealous, I only have eyes for you." He winks at her. Regina keeps staring at him. Wow, this man knows his game. But she's had enough; she is not going to stand this anymore.

"Do you mind leaving? Because I have things to do." She says in her usual sassy tone and gets straight back to her paperwork, as if nothing happened.

"Do you have a problem with me? Because I do not see a reason for you to treat me that way, Madam Mayor. Or should I say… Your Majesty?" He answers, and his tone now is much more serious, even though he is still smiling. He was beyond pissed, but he would not give her the pleasure of seeing his dissatisfaction with the way she was treating him.

"Are you done? No, my dear Robin, I don't have a problem, at all. I just don't like being bothered. I have a meeting right now. And, by the way, that meeting has just arrived". Regina says, realizing that Hook has just entered her office… without knocking.

"Well, I can see that knocking is overrated, right dear? But then again, I couldn't expect much from a pirate" Regina says to Hook.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something? I can come back later." Hook answers, arching his eyebrow and turning around to leave.

"No, there's no need for that, Captain. This gentleman here is already on his way out, right?" Regina says, looking at Robin. Then she turns to Hook again: "So, tell me about this Night Club you want to open…"

"Yeah, it's still in the beginning, but I was thinking about opening one at the end of the street, near the library. It would only work at night, on weekends, and it can have themed parties, with cocktails…" Hook starts telling Regina all about his ideas for the night club.

"Hum, I see. Captain Hook… wanting to work? I can see that Ms. Swan is really messing with your head. Who would have thought! And to be honest, I didn't really think she was into men at all." Regina says, sarcastically. She just could not miss this opportunity.

"What do you mean?" Hook asks, oblivious.

"Nevermind!" Regina answers.

Meanwhile, Robin is there, being completely ignored by both of them. He starts to get angry. Who is this Hook anyway? He suddenly bursts:

"Right, I am leaving. Have a good day." He leaves, knocking down the chair on his way out.

"Wow! Your boyfriend is cranky…" Hook jokes.

"He is not my boyfriend." Regina answers sharply.

"Anyway, about my night club…"

Robin closed the door behind him, disappointed. He didn't understand why she was treating him this way. He just stood there for a minute. What the hell just happened? Why was she being such a bitch? He wanted to go after her to demand an explanation since he had done nothing wrong, but he knew this was the last thing he should do. He decided to take a walk before going home. He needed to clear his head, figure it out. Tomorrow he would have a big day, he needed to be ready. He was going to get familiar with his new job.

Regina went home alone. Henry had gone back to the Charming's house. It was too good to be true. She took a shower and thought about what had happened earlier in her office. This whole Robin situation was getting awkward. The last thing she needed was getting involved with a man. A bandit, a thief. She remembered her mother: "_love is weakness_", she thought. Those words saying "_I only have eyes for you_" could not leave her head. Could this be true? Better stop now before this gets worse. She was now again at her bathtub, with a glass of her favorite wine, thinking about his words, his face, his accent. Everything about that man made her crazy. After a long bath, she went to bed to read a book. She needed to rest. It is exhausting walking around with all these people wanting to kill you. She had been getting death threats, but she didn't care. She had her magic, it was all right, she could take care of herself. Sleep came very easily and in her dreams, much to her dislike, he was there. Dammit, now Robin was bothering her in her dreams too.

Two days had passed since the last time Robin saw Regina, after she treated him like crap in her office. He missed her and a huge part of him wanted to come find her and tell her how cool it was there at his new job. He wanted to tell her how much he enjoyed meeting the school and the kids he was going to teach. He would only start next week, but Snow had taken him to a tour there, showing him everything, making him feel familiar with everyone. He was containing, as much as he could, this urge to look for her. When suddenly, she bumps into him on the street, causing her to drop all her papers on the floor.

"Oh, hi Regina! Here, let me help you." He said, smiling surprised, as he helped her pick up the papers and files from the floor. It looked like she was going somewhere. "How are you?" He asked her when he noticed she didn't make eye contact. She was walking fast, holding a bunch of files. She was probably coming back from work, he thought.

"Hey, I'm good. How is Roland?" Regina answered in a serious tone, finally looking at his face.

"He is great, really. He has been playing a lot with the toys you gave him. He loves all of them." He said, noticing that she was defensive, again. She was closing herself, but he would not just give up. He wanted to break that wall she built around herself; he wanted to show her that he was serious.

"I'm glad to hear that. I have to go." She answered and began to walk away really fast, but before she could get her distance from him, she felt gently hands stop her and hold her firmly in place.

"Regina, wait. Let me talk to you. Let's talk." He said, looking in her beautiful brown eyes.

"Don't do this, Robin. I can't do this." Regina said. Her voice was so low that it almost sounded like a whisper.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, genuinely confused. He was looking directly in her eyes, and as much as she tried to hide it, he could see it. He could see that she was struggling with something in her mind. She was saying "no" but her body language was saying the opposite.

"This. All of this. You trying to charm me, trying to get your way into my life like this. It will never work." She answered back. She wanted really hard to say what she was really feeling but she couldn't. And the fact that he was still here, trying, made everything ten times harder.

"Regina, let's go somewhere else. Somewhere private, to talk. Is there something happening?" He asked, looking at her with a concerned look. Regina noticed his concern and for a moment she realized that he was reading into her emotions. She had to get herself out of there as soon as possible, so she straightened herself up, backing away from his touch and, putting her fakest smile, said:

"No, nothing is happening. In fact, I have never been better. I just don't want you to think that something could ever happen between the two of us. I am a Queen and you… well, you are a –

"… Thief." He said before she could finish. "Okay, Regina, I got it. I will let you go your way now." He said, turning around to leave. Regina's impulse was just to stop him right there and say that she didn't mean it. The words she used were harsh and she knew it. She purposely chose these words carefully because she knew they would hurt him, making him finally leave. And she was right, she succeeded. He left.

He could feel raging building inside him. Regina was a mean woman when she wanted to be. Whatever she was afraid of, he didn't know. He had just bought some clothes for his new job. He could have used her help, but as she was treating him like this, it was probably not wise to ask her. Also, he was a proud man and he would not give in again.

Regina was walking as fast as she could. She didn't expect to meet him on the streets like this. She wanted to get out of his sight as soon as possible. It was getting dark and she had to get home. She was not driving today; her car was at the repair shop. After a few minutes, she was finally alone. She was out of Robin's sight. When she was near her house she heard footsteps following her. She couldn't believe he had followed her all this way. It was night already, she saw an alley and she walked into it, trying to evade him. When she was in that alley, she saw someone else there waiting for her, blocking her way. This wasn't Robin. She quickly turned around and there was another man there in the other end of the alley. She was trapped, no way out. She immediately went into defensive mode and prepared herself to cast the greatest fireball she could conjure up, when she suddenly felt a cold blue cloud around her… some sort of spell. She tried to use her magic, but nothing happened. She couldn't move. She felt hands around her shoulders and in the next second she was thrown roughly on the ground, being held by two strong men, who wanted nothing but revenge.

**END OF CHAPTER 7**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Chapter 8 is up. This is one of our favorites! I think you will love this one, especially the ending! Hopefully we will update soon. Thanks for the reviews and please keep them coming. =)**

**CHAPTER 8 **

Regina felt her hands tight to her back and a knife was being held to her neck. She tried to make a sound, but she couldn't. That spell, whatever it was, was immobilizing her. She was at the mercy of her attackers.

"How does it feel now, your Majesty? Ready to meet your end?" One of them said, laughing with the other one.

"Oh yeah, I've always wanted to know what happens when you cut someone's throat. Do Queens bleed differently?" The other guy said, mockingly.

"So, you actually went through all this trouble to get a spell to block my magic, huh? Such cowards you are. It's such a pity." Regina says with an enraged face, barely being able to move her mouth.

"This is for all the lives you took, all the pain you made us suffer. And, by the way, this is going to hurt." The first guy said again.

Her head was being held to the ground, her face was turned to the side. One of the guys pulled her head back, exposing her neck. The knife was about to touch her skin when suddenly she hears a man shouting in the distance:

"Take your hands off her. NOW!"

Both men looked to the dark figure that had just appeared at the end of the alley. Regina couldn't see anything, as her head was being held in an opposite direction. But she recognized the voice. Better yet, she recognized the accent. And never has she been so happy to hear this accent in her entire life. It was him, he had found her. She felt the grip in her head and arms loosen up, while both men got into a fight with the man who had come to her rescue. She was still there, she still couldn't move, but she could see Robin now and he was on the ground disarming the two men. He was really good in a fight, managing to take them down in a few minutes. But not before being punched a few times in his face, making his eyebrows and mouth bleed. Regina started to be able to move again, and slowly, she stood up. She felt hands on her head, but this time, they were gentle:

"Are you ok? Regina, can you hear me? Are you hurt? What did they do?" Robin asked her with a concerned look on his face. He was touching her face, her hair; he was looking to see if she had been injured in anyway.

"I'm.. I'm fine." She spoke, finally. Her vision was still blurred, she couldn't see much but she was slowly regaining her strength back. She was still in shock, it all had happened so fast.

"Did they hurt you?" He asked, and now he was checking her arms and hands to see if there was any injury.

"No, no! You got here just in time." She said, looking at his face with a shocked expression. She now realized he had bruises all over his face. Those guys had hurt him. "Oh my God, your face! You're bleeding". She said to him, with a worried face.

"Oh, don't worry about me. This is nothing. I'm glad you are alright."

"Of course I will worry. Let's go to the sheriff station now. We have to report this assault. Have you seen their faces? Can you identify them?" She asked. Unfortunately, she did not see her attackers' faces. She was being forced to face the other way the entire time.

"Yes, I did. I can identify them for sure if I see them again." Robin answered.

"Let's go then." Regina said, and both made their way to the sheriff's office.

Regina walks into the station raging. She was furious and pushed the door open a little too strong. Robin couldn't help but laugh at her. He loved the way she looked when she was angry. He thought it was cute.

"Do you think this is funny?" She said, turning to him with an I-will-kill-you-with-my-eyes stare, with both hands on her hips.

"Now, I think that's sexy!" He said, with a naughty look, half smiling. Regina rolls her eyes at his remark.

When they arrive, the station was empty. Emma was not there. The sheriff station looked abandoned. With a shocked expression in her face, Regina shouts, throwing her purse on the table:

"Unbelievable." Regina says, with an outraged voice. "Emma is really useless. She has ONE job, ONE-SINGLE-JOB, and what does she do? Nothing!"

"Maybe she is answering another report?" Robin said, trying to calm her down.

"I highly doubt that." Regina answers. "This is an absurd! I have been attacked. And she is probably there with her perky blonde ass siting in her bed, getting her paycheck without even working for it." She screams, gesticulating the whole time, putting her hands up in the air.

"Listen, calm down. We can come back tomorrow." He said.

"Oh, no, I will go there to her house right now, knock on her door and get her perky ass up here. Even if I had to drag her by her hair." Regina says and starts walking towards the door, determined, knocking things off shelves and tables as she passes by.

"Regina, we can come back tomorrow." Robin says, standing in front of her. He holds her in her shoulders and looks into her brown eyes. "I promise." He says to her and his face is so close that now she notices again the bruises and cuts in his face.

"Oh dear, your face. We have to get you to the hospital." She picks up her phone and attempts to call Emma. "Emma is not picking up her phone, as usual. I can't believe this reckless woman is actually taking care of my son". She rages while pacing back and forth.

"No, no hospitals. This is nothing, Regina. I've been through worse." He answers, but he notices that Regina still hasn't calmed down and adds: "Regina, calm down! Come here, I know you are tense, but just relax. I have an idea, go get the first aid kit while I make us a coffee, how about that?" He says, putting a conforting hand on top of hers. She looked at his hands and thought they were so big. Big, manly hands. Just the way she liked it.

"Well, I will go get the first-aid kit, then. There is one here in this locker." Regina says, opening up the locker, and getting the first-aid kit. In the meanwhile, Robin was making coffee and observing her walk around majestically. She takes the cup in her hand and looks around, as if she was shocked by her sudden realization:

"Oh my! This place is horrible. Look at the mess this place became after Emma was elected sheriff. Everything is out of place, disorganized. Such a waste of city funds…" She says, looking around the place with a disgust look on her face.

"Who was the old sheriff?" He asks, genuinely curious. Regina takes a while to answer the question. She suddenly thinks of Graham, and it makes her sad. Deep down, she knew it wasn't right what she did to him, he was a good man.

"Graham." She answers with a sad face, looking down. "It was a long time ago, but he was a good man." She smiles, trying to hide her emotions. Robin notices her embarrassment and decides that is not wise to push her into talking more about him.

"You don't want to talk about it, I assume?" He asked, but he already knew the answer.

"No. Not right now, at least." She tries to lighten up the mood. "Now, let me taste this coffee to see if you are a good student" She takes a sip of the coffee, while Robin pays close attention to her reactions. Oh my, this woman was so beautiful; It looked like she was one of those supermodels on TV commercials.

"And…" He asked, eager to learn her response. He was looking at her so carefully that Regina made an effort to smile, before answering:

"Wow, this is actually delicious. One of the best coffees I ever drank." She lied. It was horrible; he forgot the most basic ingredient: sugar. The fact that he made her coffee was so cute and charming that it made her heart melt a little. She didn't want him to notice it, but she still couldn't stop laughing in head. It was so funny. He smiled in relief with her positive answer. He was proud of himself a little.

"I got an approval from the Queen. What else could I need in my life?" He jokes. "Now let me taste it myself." He takes a sip of the coffee he just made and suddenly gasps, making a funny face. "OH REGINA… THIS IS HORRIBLE!" He screams, tossing his cup away from him. Now they are both laughing really hard. "You lied to me!" He says to Regina, still laughing.

"Oh, Robin, you were so focused making the coffee and you did it with such good intentions that I couldn't tell you the truth" She says with a cute smile. "I am indeed a great teacher though; you did everything right, you only forgot to add sugar." They both continue laughing.

She gets the kit and puts it on a table, opening it. "Now, sit here. Let me take care of those bruises." Robin does what she says and sits near the counter.

"Now, let me start. Raise your chin, please!"

Now she is standing up in front of him and adjusts herself between his opened legs. She starts cleaning up the cut in his eyebrow. He flinches with the touch. She approaches him once more and he flinches again.

"Oh, dear, man up! This is nothing, as you said." Regina says, laughing.

She gets closer to his face, and this time she is trying to be more careful, more gentle. She can see his eyes. They are so beautiful. After cleaning the cut in his eyebrow, she puts a bandage on it, carefully. Now she finds herself completely hypnotized by his eyes. They are both staring at each other, intensively. She starts cleaning up the rest of his injuries and after they are all cleaned up and properly bandaged, she notices how he has great muscles in his arms and how the back of his neck has a small scar. She looks at every inch of his perfect face, and now, for the first time, she really notices him. Not that she hasn't noticed him before, but now, she was really paying attention. And she also saw that during all this time, his eyes never left hers. She stopped what she was doing for a moment, to look directly in his eyes:

"Thank you." She says, as sincere as she can be.

"I missed you." He answers, both still staring at each other's eyes, inches apart.

This was not the answer Regina expected. She expected a "_you're welcome_" or a "_it was about time you said thank you_", but no. That was all he said. He suddenly got up, their faces became even closer than before. Regina jumped back, startled.

"Well, I should go. Thank you for saving my life. But it's getting late and I have to get some sleep."

"Okay, I can walk you home." He answered.

"No, it's ok, I live a few blocks from here." She said, trying to avoid his eyes. She grabbed her purse, knocking down things along the way, opened the door, and in the next second she was already outside, walking really fast. Robin started running after her.

"What is your problem Regina?" He was screaming, and for the first time, he was angry. They were both on the street now. It began to rain heavily. He reaches her, grabs her arms to make her stop walking and pulls her back to look at his face.

"I don't have any problem!" She screamed back.

"What are you so afraid of?" He shouts.

"I'm not afraid of anythi…"

Before Regina finishes the sentence, he pushes her quite roughly to a wall and the next thing she knows, he gives her a breath-taking kiss. They start kissing passionately. She fights at first, but within seconds she completely surrenders to his kiss, now she is kissing him, furiously, trying to gain control. She kissed him as if it was the only thing that held her to life, like his mouth was her only salvation. After a while they start slowing it down, their tongues start dancing around each other, in a perfect synchronized rhythm. He caresses her face and then his hands go down to her hips, holding her firmly in place. Her head starts to spin, this feeling is so good. He picks her up on his lap and his kisses go down to her neck. Regina is still with her eyes clothes and she lays her head back allowing him more space, surrendering to the kisses. He is still kissing her neck, and his hands are coming up and down her entire body. She turns her head back to him and gives him a strong kiss, sticking her tongue deep in his mouth. There were there for a few minutes, he was alternating between kisses in her mouth and kisses in her neck. She is grabbing his hair strongly so she wouldn't fall. Whenever she thought he had stopped kissing her, she would bite his lips, bringing his lips again to hers. Robin was feeling the excitement rise in his body; he was feeling he was going to lose control if she didn't stop kissing him like that. He could make love to her right there, in the street, and he wouldn't mind. Regina felt Robin aroused member against her body and couldn't contain her cocky smile. She knew what she was doing and she loved that she was teasing him and he was so into her. They broke their kiss, gasping for air, they kept their eyes closed and their foreheads touched. They stood like this for a while, enjoying each other's touch, under the pouring rain. Right now they were soaking wet, but it didn't even matter. All that mattered now was that they couldn't break apart.

**END OF CHAPTER 8 **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, thank you for the reviews.. Keep them coming. The next update should be soon. XD**

**CHAPTER 9**

"Oh My God.. oh My God!" Regina shouts. Her moanings get louder and louder as Robin gently kisses her naked breasts, while touching her wetness, rubbing her clit with his two fingers, before placing them inside her entry, making his fingers slip in and out of her. He slowly makes his way down, kissing her stomach along the way until he stops between her opened legs. He removes the fingers and stars licking Regina's aroused clit, makings circles with his tongue, while she closes her eyes and arches her back on the bed, holding the sheets firmly.

"I want you to cum for me, darling!" Robin says, making Regina's breathing become heavier. She was almost there, she could feel it coming. She was almost at her climax when suddenly...

The alarm goes off, really loud. Regina wakes up in a jump, sweating, and finds herself all alone in her bed. It was all a dream? "_Great._ _Now I'm having erotic dreams with him too_", she sighs.

It was already 9 am when Robin decided to get up from bed. He was not able to get a good sleep the night before, especially not after what had just happened. That kiss. That amazing kiss. He could still feel the taste in his mouth, her wonderful smell, her soft skin, her neck… It looked like a dream. After that kiss, not much was said between them. He walked her home and offered himself to sleep on her couch because he didn't want to leave her there all alone after everything. It took a few hours until she finally convinced him that she would be alright, as she had cast a protection spell around her house to prevent any intruder. When he got home, he kept dreaming about that scene and all he wanted was to go back to her house, knock on her door and do it all again. He left Rolland in the daycare and went out directly to the Sheriff Station. He remembered Regina saying that she would go talk to Emma at the Sheriff Station as soon as it opened, and he couldn't wait to see her again. Maybe he could help her describe the men who attacked her, since he saw their faces perfectly well. And then, later, when it was all over, he could offer to walk her home and in the meantime he could take her out to eat something, to have a proper date, so they could maybe finish what they started the night before.

When he got there, much to his surprise, he found Emma alone, sitting casually on her desk, laying back on her chair, with a pastrami sandwich in her hand. No sign of Regina.

"Hey Emma. Has Regina left already? I thought I would find her here. Was I too late?" He asked and his suspicion that Regina never actually went to the Station got even harder when he saw the confused look Emma gave him in return.

"What do you mean? What would Regina do here?" Emma got up from her desk and walked straight over to him, getting closer, with a worried look.

"Nothing. I'm just surprised she is not here yet. After what happened, I assumed she would have come already. At least, that's what she said she was going to do."

"After _what_ happened?" Emma asked again, and now she had both her arms crossed over her chest.

"You don't know? Regina was attacked last night by two men. If I hadn't gotten there, they would have killed her, or worse." Robin said.

"Regina was attacked? How did that happen? Is she alright? Sit down, please, tell me everything." Emma asked, in shock. She sat across the table from him with a small notebook and a pencil. Robin started describing the attack in details, including what the faces of the attackers looked like. He made a full description. Emma was listening to him carefully, writing down everything she heard.

They both spent at least 1 hour and a half there. Emma was careful to write everything down, making a lot of questions along the way. When they were finished, she got up.

"Well, thank you very much for all the information, Robin. I think I have everything I need now. I'll come by to Regina's house to check in on her and get her side of the story, so I can start taking action." Emma said, getting her keys and ready to leave.

Robin decided to go home. As much as he wanted to follow Emma and see Regina, he also knew that he would be in the way of Regina's rage towards Emma. He knew that he would not be getting anything out of this, instead of a few death-glares that she could eventually throw his way. He decided it would be best to wait and call her later that afternoon, but first he needed a cellphone. He got back to the Inn, and asked Ruby to help him buy one. She taught him everything he needed to know about this "device". He spent all afternoon sitting at Granny's Dinner, with Ruby by his side, teaching him the perks of having a cellphone. She taught him how to make calls, how to answer calls and how to text. Of course she would not miss the opportunity of offering her own number to him. Little did Ruby know that Regina had already taught him all there was to know about a cellphone when he was at her house a few days before. While Ruby was talking, he started to think of how incredible Regina was. Ruby was a beautiful girl, but she was nothing like Regina. She didn't possess that confidence, that strength and that charm Regina had. She had something that drove him crazy and he couldn't understand how she could be such a bitch sometimes but also so incredibly sweet and kind. If she would only let people see how wonderful she truly was, they would be fascinated too.

After learning pretty much everything he pretended he didn't know, he went upstairs to his room, to get the most important number: Regina's number – the reason why he bought a cellphone in the first place. Inside his jacket he had a piece of paper with her number on it, which she had given him the day he was at her house, after she constantly mocked him when they were at her kitchen because he didn't know what a cellphone was.

Regina was at her living room, drinking coffee, looking blankly at the wall, daydreaming. She was still wearing her robe, sitting down on her couch, with her legs crossed. She did not notice, of course, but she had a smile on her face. She was still remembering the hot dream she'd had with Robin. She never had dreams like this before. Never. That kiss was still lingering on her lips, and maybe that was why she had this erotic dream in the first place. Oh how she wishes this dream was real. Suddenly, she jumps a little when she hears a knock on her door, taking her out of her day-dreaming state. She gets up, overly excited: "Maybe it's him. He came to see me", she thinks. She looks in the mirror, fixing her hair, and casually walks towards the door, in her usual calm pace. She opens the door and her face immediately drops at the sight of Emma. But she doesn't care, she is too happy to let that lazy woman affect her today. She smiles sarcastically to Emma, and, with a cup of coffee in her hand, she says:

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Ms. Swan? Come in, make yourself at home, like you always do." Regina says and Emma notices how she is smiling, not at all what she expected to find after hearing the awful thing that had happened to her.

"I just heard about what happened to you last night Regina. I want to know if you are okay." Emma says, getting herself inside Regina house.

Emma sits in a couch while Regina sits in front of her, telling her every detail of the attack. Including how she was paralyzed and couldn't move and couldn't even see their faces. Emma notices how Regina is speaking, her tone is lighter. She is sitting casually on her own couch, her posture is mannered. It looks exactly like the old Regina, except… something is different. Emma does not fail to notice that when she speaks about "the man who saved her" she has almost a glow in her eyes. After getting Regina's whole statement, she finally spoke:

"Wow, that was horrible. I will look into it. I will go to Gold and ask him about this spell you said they used on you. Thank God you are alright." Emma said.

"Well, not thanks to you, right Ms. Swan? If you had been there at your job, where you were supposed to be, this would have been so much easier for all of us. But obviously I can't expect you to hold on to any responsibility, right? I guess it's your nature." Regina said, divinely getting up from her couch, in her usual sassy tone, leaving a disconcerted Emma behind.

"Well, I went home a little earlier last night. The whole day was quiet, so I assumed not much would happen".

"Next time don't assume, Ms. Swan. Just do your job. That's what you get paid for." Regina's tone was harsh but Emma knew she was right. She had left earlier and it was wrong. She is the only Sheriff in town after all. Regina was now standing in front of Emma, who was still sitting on the couch, and she noticed a huge bruise on the brunette's neck.

"Oh my God, Regina. We have to get you to see your injuries." Emma stood up, getting closer to Regina in order to take a closer look.

"It's alright Ms. Swan. As I told you, they didn't hurt me." Regina said with a serious face. She was getting bored already and she just wanted to get rid of the annoying blonde in front of her.

"Yes, they did hurt you! Look at your neck. It has a huge bruise on it." Emma said, startled.

Regina only smiled mischievously. She knew _exactly_ how she got that bruise, but she decided not to say anything. She backed away from Emma and went to the kitchen. Emma followed her.

"Perhaps it is time for you to go, Ms. Swan. I think you have done your job." Regina said, walking straight to the door and opening it.

"I will look into it, and I will get those two men who did this to you." Emma said, still looking at the bruise on Regina's neck.

"Fine, Ms. Swan, as long as you do your job." Regina spills, closing the door at Emma's face as soon as she put her foot outside.

After getting rid of Emma, Regina walks upstairs to her room. She decided to give herself a day off. She deserved it, especially after what happened. She called in sick to her office and asked her assistant to re-schedule all her appointments that day. She was on the porch, reading a book, trying to distract herself from thinking about _him_, when she suddenly hears her phone go off. It was a text. She ran to her cellphone, which was on her nightstand: "It can only be Henry", she thought, excited to possibly see her son again. She checked her cell, hoping to see a text from her son, wanting to meet her again, when she completely froze. It was not Henry. Instead, the message said – "_How about some flowers for the most beautiful woman in the world?"_

What? What flowers? It was not possible to see who the message came from. The number was unknown. She was still in shock, looking at her cellphone, trying to figure out what that was. Although deep down she knew it could only have come from one person, she was still worried that this was a trap, especially after the assault she suffered the night before. She didn't even want to think what would have happened if Robin hadn't appeared at that very moment. A million things were going through her mind, when her phone goes off again. Another text, from the same number: - _"In case you are wondering, the flowers are on your doorstep, along with someone very special. Have a sweet day, love. Kisses, from the one who now knows what a cellphone is. ;)"_. She immediately smiled and her face became lighter with relief; she knew it was him. He probably had bought a cellphone today, since she gave him her number that night at her house. She ran downstairs, straight to her door. When she opened it, she found Robin standing there with a bouquet of red roses – her favorite flowers. How did he know that?

"Humm, I can see you now have a cellphone." She says, picking up the flowers from his hands, smiling warmly at him. She was still wearing a robe and for a moment Robin was mesmerized by the fact that she was even more beautiful today. Her beauty was natural, she didn't have to make any efforts at all to be stunning. "Thank you!" She adds. "They are my favorite. How did you know that?" she says, smelling the roses with her eyes closed.

"It was not hard to guess, really. I noticed a few red roses in your office the other day." He smiles at her and she takes two steps back, gesturing for him to enter her house. He closes the door behind him and she runs quickly to put the flowers in a vase, before answering:

"I love the flowers. They are amazing, thank you. But what brings you here at this hour?" She asks, still smiling at him, looking in his eyes.

"I just came by to check on you, to see if you are okay. I am worried about you being here all alone, especially with those two men still on the loose." He says, approaching her and gently caressing her face.

"Oh, don't worry. I put a protection spell in my house, remember? No one can enter unless I let them. But I love that you came here." She smiles shyly at him. He grabs both her hands and looks straight into her eyes.

"I want you to know that I'm here, Regina. If anything happens, and I mean _anything_, you can call me and I'll be here in a blink of an eye. That's why I bought this cellphone in the first place." He says, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. To his surprise, she suddenly pulls him towards her and gives him a passionate kiss. Their tongues start dancing around each other again, both of them wanting more and more. After a while they break the kiss to catch their breaths, and with their eyes still closed, they touch their foreheads against each other. They embrace each other, and Robin's arms are now tight around her, keeping her safe and warm. They stay like this for a while, enjoying each second of each other's company, until Regina breaks the silence.

"I'm not used to this." She whispers, feeling his breath in her face and the warmth of his body against her. She feels safe, she feels protected. It's a new feeling for her.

"Not used to what? Being kissed and loved? Because you better get used to it. It will happen quite frequently now." He whispers back, never removing his hold on her, feeling her heartbeat and quietly thanking God he has her safe in his arms.

"I don't know, Robin. I don't think I am ready for all of this." Regina says, looking sad. She feels him tighten his hold on her, as if showing her that he was not going anywhere.

"Don't you even think about pushing me away again, Regina." He raises his head to look at her eyes. "Because I am not giving up on you. On us." He says, gently kissing her forehead.

Regina smiles and a tear falls off her eyes. They both stay still, holding each other firmly, never letting go. For a few minutes it was as if the world had stopped and nothing else mattered. They could stay like this forever. And both intended to.

"Can I come by your office tomorrow, after I get out from work?" He whispers to her ears.

"What for? Another surprise?" She whispers back.

"Maybe." He teases her and she smiles, nodding her head.

Meanwhile, somewhere around Storybrooke, two men approach a house in a dark corner of the city. Fear is explicit in their eyes once they hear the familiar voice they dread. The cold, wretched voice that could frighten anyone.

"You idiots, I told you not to hurt her. You were supposed to bring her to me!" The voice shouts, angrily.

"I - I'm sorry, yo - your Majesty!" The first man stutters. "B - but you have to understand that we didn't expect the presence of that man" He finishes, trying as hard as possible to avoid the furious gaze upon them.

"What man?" The voice asks again.

"We don't know, your Majesty." The other man replies. "He just came out of nowhere. We don't know who he is, we have never seen him around here before."

"Find out who he is for me. Immediately! You already failed me once, do not fail me again, or you will regret it. I want to know everything about this man and his relationship with her." The voice demands.

"Absolutely, Your Majesty. We will do this for you. We promise, we won't fail you again."

"Good, because the next time you do, it will be the last thing you will ever do in your life."

"Can I ask, Your Majesty… what do you want with her?" The first man asks again.

"That is my business. Your job is to make sure she is brought to me." The voice

"Then why didn't you just go there and get her yourself?" The second man says, curiously.

"It's not the time." The voice laughs in the dark. Her laughter is cruel, vicious. It makes both men shiver. "At least, not yet!"

**END OF CHAPTER 9 **


	10. Chapter 10

**HEY THERE! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Thank you for your lovely reviews! Next update should be soon and in the next chapter, Robin will teach Regina how to shoot a bow and arrow, so I hope you stick with us! ;) Reviews, please!**

**CHAPTER 10**

Robin was excited today. He had started working on Mary Margareth's school as a teacher. He had prepared a great class for the kids, and everything was working exactly the way it was supposed to. You could say he was happy because of his new job, but it really wasn't just that. Although he was extremely happy with his new job, the main reason why he couldn't stop smiling was because he knew that after he got out of his work he would see her. He had planned everything carefully – he wanted to surprise her – but he knew that Regina was a difficult woman, which made her even more wonderful. He was in a middle of his last class for the day right now and the students seemed to love him.

"Come on, boys! I want to see you strong and handsome, like your teacher here. Keep going, don't give up. Run, run!" He said, happily. He was really having a great time in this new job.

"Hey, teacher, can I have some water?" Henry asked him.

"Of course, Henry. And you can call me Robin. Let me keep you company." He said, walking side by side to the boy. He wanted to spend more time with Henry and get to know him. Henry was exhausted and Robin imagined Regina seeing her boy like this. They both kept silent for a moment, until Robin broke the silence, again.

"So, Henry… how is your mom? Have you heard about what happened to her?" Robin asked the boy.

"Yes, I have. We spoke on the phone. She told me you saved her life... so, thank you!" Henry answered.

"Oh, she mentioned me? What else did she say?" Robin asked, curiously. He tried to sound like it was just a casual question, but the truth was that he was very interested in everything Henry could say about his mom.

"Yes, she told me everything. She told me you appeared out of nowhere and saved her." Henry smiled at Robin. "I'm going to spend more time with her. I want to see her."

"You should. She needs you now Henry. More than ever. What she went through was pretty traumatic. You should be there for her, spoil her, keep her company. She shouldn't be alone in that house. She loves you so much." Robin said, without realizing Henry suspicious eyes towards him.

"And I love her too." Henry looked at Robin and his suspicion grew even more when he noticed Robin's huge smile when talking about his mom. He could see that Robin really cared about her, but why was that?

"So, speaking of your mom… do you know what her favorite meal is?" He asked, and noticing a deep frown on the boy's face, he quickly added: "It's just because I want to bring her something to make her feel better, after all that happened."

"Well, she loves apples. And anything related to apples." Henry replied, with a _this-is-obvious _look.

"Thanks Henry." He says, embarrassed. Henry noticed the disconcerted look on Robin's face but decided not to ask anything. Somehow Henry felt better knowing someone cared about his mom. They walked back to the gym, the class was almost ending.

"Let's go, boys!" Robin shouted to the whole class. "Time is up. Now it's time for you to take a shower and get ready for your other classes."

The day was going slow for Regina in her office. It was 9 am already and she had done almost nothing. It never happened before; usually, by this hour, she already had almost every paper work signed, every called returned and all documents revised. But not today. She thought something was wrong with her, she was never this anxious before. She kept checking the clock, and it seemed still, until suddenly she hears the familiar sound of her phone going off – it was a text message. She grabbed her phone immediately, smiling from ear to ear, and read the message: "_Good morning, sweetie. How is your day so far? Love, R."_ She wrote back, quickly: _"Good Morning, my day is fine, I'm working. What about yours?"_. She sat back in the chair, relaxed, eagerly waiting for his answer. It's not like her day was being productive anyway. It took a while for him to answer – a few minutes – but it felt like hours. _"I am working too. I started today as a P.E teacher. I love it already. I have to give another class now. I'll talk to you later. Love, R."_. She kept staring at the message for a while, holding the phone with both hands, frozen. It was great that someone actually cared about her day. It made her feel better knowing that he was thinking about her right now too, and the anxiety she had only got worse. She realized she wasn't getting any work done today at all, so she just sat back in her chair, put her legs on her desk and stared at the ceiling, daydreaming. Maybe this would make the hours go by faster.

The day went by really fast for Robin. Between his classes, he almost didn't even see the time pass. But now it was already 2 pm and his classes were all done. He packed all his things in his backpack, took a shower right there in the school and changed his clothes. He wore that cologne he knew she loved – well, actually he didn't _really _know if she loved it, but he had a strong guess by the way she reacted when he got closer to her. With everything ready, he made his way into the City Hall.

Regina was almost done with the day. She still sat in her chair and pretended to have some work done when someone called or entered her office. Her day was already wasted and she knew she would have to work twice as hard the next day to make it up for today's laziness. She kept throwing glances at the clock wondering when Robin would come to see her, as he said he would. Did he forget about her? Why didn't he say what time? What was this surprise he was planning? All these questions made her day go even slower as the time would pass and he wouldn't even send her another text. She decided she would send him a text instead, but she didn't want to look desperate, so she grabbed her phone and stared at it for a while, considering carefully what she would send him. She still had her phone in her hand, lost in her own mind, when she heard a knock on her door. She quickly put her phone down and straightened herself in her chair before answering "Come in!". The door opened and there he was, with his backpack on his back, dressed elegantly with a white long sleeved t-shirt that showed his perfectly sculptured muscles, his hair was wet and combed, like he had just gotten out of the shower, and he was wearing the cologne she loved. He smiled at her from the door and entered her office, caring a bag in his hand. He looked incredibly sexy.

"Hello Madam Mayor. Missed me?" He said, with his charming and seductive smile.

"Well, I had so much work today that I almost forgot you were coming here. I was almost leaving." Regina answered, obviously lying. Robin saw that her desk was pretty much empty, with the exception of a paper that had a few doodles that she probably made out of boredom. He couldn't help but smile inside. He knew she was thinking about him, she just didn't want to give in.

"I imagine you must be hungry. I brought you Apple Juice and a few donuts. I thought you might like it. It was the best thing I have eaten in my life." Robin said, getting closer and putting the bag in her desk. He hoped that she liked donuts – I mean, who wouldn't? It's the best thing ever!

"Oh, thank you." Regina simply answered, smiling. She hated donuts – actually, she hated all types of food that weren't salads or simple meals, but she didn't want to tell him that, since he had brought them for her with such nice intentions. She was trying her best to make him feel comfortable. She didn't want to disappoint him so she would just have to make an extra effort and eat the donuts. At least he got it right by choosing apple juice. It was her favorite. She looked at his face and decided to make a joke: "Just so you know, if I get fat because of this, you can't complain later, ok?" She said, opening the bag, while he sat in front on her.

"I don't mind if you get fat." He said, looking into her beautiful brown eyes.

"Well, I do." Regina smiled back. "Next time, buy me a salad!" She winked at him.

She ate the donuts while he told her everything about his day at his work and how the kids were adorable and how they all loved him. Regina kept watching him speak, amazed. It was obvious to her that these kids liked him, there is no way they wouldn't. He was strong, handsome, and had an incredible sense of humor. They kept talking for hours, and she almost didn't notice the time passing. She looked at the clock – 6 pm.

"Oh dear, I didn't even see the time pass. I have to go home now."

"Already?" Robin looked at the clock. "Wow, time flies when we are together. If I could, I would be here with you forever. I enjoy your company, you know!" He gave her his charming smile.

"That's lovely, Robin, I enjoy your company too. But I have plans for today. Henry will spend the night at my house tonight. I don't want to be late." She said, trying to seem unaffected by him.

"Great! We should do this again, then." Robin said, with a wide smile.

"I'm not sure about that, Robin. This is becoming a habit." She answered in a serious but sad tone.

"What do you mean? You just said you enjoyed my company." He said. He knew she would close off eventually, but he was growing tired of her pushing him away all the time. He wanted her to know that it was not bad to let her emotions show, to be vulnerable, to fall in love.

"I do. But I just don't think this is going to work the way you want it to. I'm a complicated woman." Regina said. She always did this. Every time she felt like she was giving too much, she would say something to make it look like she didn't really care. It was almost a defense mechanism – she liked keeping a certain distance between her and people.

"Who says I don't like a challenge?" Robin said, winking at her. He noticed her sad expression and continued: "Regina, every time we are getting along and having a good time you make it your life's mission to tell me otherwise. I don't see why you keep closing yourself like this, but this has to stop. We both know how you feel about me, so stop pretending." He said, leaning forward and making the space between them almost nonexistent, if it wasn't for the desk which separated them.

"How _I _feel about you? And why in the world would you think I feel something?" She said.

"I felt it in your kisses. I know you want me, Regina. I know you feel something too. You just don't want to admit it because you are afraid of being hurt. But I promise you, I will never hurt you. Never." Robin said, grabbing both of her hands and holding them. She wasn't expecting his touch, but she didn't flinch either. She knew that he was speaking the true, she was afraid of getting hurt again and experiencing the pain and loss she felt a long time ago.

Regina just stared at him. She was at a loss for words. Robin continued:

"We are made for each other, Regina. If I wasn't certain of this, I wouldn't be here." He said, his tone was serious now. Robin waited while Regina let the words sink in. She sat there for a moment, staring at him with her mouth open, she didn't know what to say. Robin noticed her awkward attempts in coming up with an answer and it took her a while before she answered:

"Well, that's a very bold assumption. In my defense I was really vulnerable yesterday after those terrible events." Regina stood up, removing her hands from his. "But I do feel like I owe you a 'thank you' dinner. We should meet somewhere and I promise this time I won't stand you up. But I should really be going home right now."

"Okay, let's go then. I'll walk you home." He said.

"Robin, I am not walking. I am _driving_." Regina answered. The only time she walked home was the night of the attack, because her car was in the repair shop. She certainly wouldn't do that again.

"Fine, then I will walk you to your car. Maybe you can teach me how to drive this machine. It could be useful to me." Robin said, laughing.

"Well, I certainly can help you with that. But if you drive a car the way you send a text, we are all going to die." She laughed at him, grabbing her purse and walking with him towards the front door.

"What do you mean? I send texts just fine." He said, walking side by side with her.

"Dear, you take forever to reply. I must wonder why you have so much trouble finding some small letters on the keyboard."

"So, you DO care that I take forever to reply, huh?" He winked at her, charming as usual.

"I am a very impatient person. I don't like to be kept waiting." She said, crossing her arms, in her best Madam Mayor pose.

They were almost reaching the door when he suddenly turned around to face her, staying in front of her, blocking her way to the door.

"I believe you said you owed me a dinner"

"Yes, a _thank you_ dinner." Regina made sure she emphasized this word; she wanted him to know that it was not a date. "Can we go tomorrow?" She asked.

"No, not tomorrow. Tomorrow I have to be somewhere. The dwarves are throwing a party for the Mines Day or something. Snow asked me to get there earlier to help her prepare everything." He said. Suddenly Regina changed her expression. She looked like she was just insulted.

"So you're trading me for dwarves?" She said, and for some reason she was beyond pissed.

"I am not trading you for anyone. I have all the other days just for you."

"Still, you're helping those idiots plan their idiotic party."

"Well, you know that Snow got me my job, so what's the problem in helping her and the guys?"

"The problem is that you know that I can't stand them. But fine, do whatever you want, I don't care. If you want to spend time with all of them instead of having my precious company, it's your loss." Regina crossed her arms, like a 5 year old throwing a tantrum. She reminded Robin of Roland, when he wanted his father's company and gave his little cute jealousy attacks. He tried really hard to control his laughter, but he just couldn't. Seeing Regina being jealous was the most hilarious thing ever. "Why are you laughing? Do you think this is funny? Do I look like I'm telling a joke?" She said, raging.

"Regina, there's no reason for being mad" He said, still laughing at her jealousy rage.

"I am not mad. If you want to be friends with my enemies, go ahead. I definitely don't care."

"Yeah, I can see that you don't care." He said, smiling sarcastically.

"I don't. Now get out of my way." Regina said, pushing him aside so she could open the door. Before she reached the handle, he pulled her closely, giving her a quick but passionate kiss.

"What was that?" Regina said, looking startled. This quick kiss took her completely by surprise, she took 2 steps back.

"Nothing, I am just kissing my jealous girl."

"I am not you girl." Regina got closer to him with a sassy smile on her face, and, inches from his face, whispered "…yet." Then added: "And I am certainly not jealous."

"Alright then, my not-jealous girl. You can come with me." He said, caressing her cheek.

"If you think I'm going to that party you are mistaken, dear! There's no way I'm standing in the same place as those idiots. I'd rather be shot in the face." Regina said, crossing her arms, looking quite irritated. Robin burst out laughing; he had to admit that he loved the way that Regina sometimes was unintentionally hilarious.

"Come on, it's going to be fun! After a while I'll make up some excuse and we both can leave."

"Well, I'm afraid that won't be slightly possible." Regina said, leaving the room. Robin followed her and both walked side by side to her car.

"Since I can't convince you to come to the party tomorrow, can I call you so we can reschedule our dinner?" Robin said, smiling, hoping she'd be open for this rearrangement.

"We'll see." That's all Regina said before getting to her car and driving home.

Ten minutes after she got home, Emma dropped Henry there. She was just so happy her son wanted to spend time with her again. They both had dinner, talked about their day and she tucked him in.

The next morning she woke up, got dressed and went down stairs to prepare breakfast. Henry went down right after, in his uniform, and they both had breakfast together. Regina drove him to school and went to work, as usual.

Robin was feeling horrible. He was feeling like a perfect idiot. He gave his word that he would help Snow at the party, but now he was feeling miserable and he couldn't believe he was missing an opportunity to be with the woman he was in love with. But he was a man of his word, and he would honor that. He had all the other days of his life to be with Regina, hopefully, forever. Time went by really fast for him at his work. He finished all his classes, got dressed and was ready to leave when he saw her. She was outside the school, standing near her car, waiting to pick up Henry. He kept watching from afar when Henry approached Regina and she gave him a huge hug. They both laughed as they walked into the car while Henry was apparently telling her about his day at school. She listened carefully to every word he said, her eyes almost glowing. Robin kept watching her get into the car, still smiling. He regretted again his decision of helping Snow at the party, but it was better this way since Henry was with her anyway. He grabbed his backpack and headed to the lot where the party was going to take place.

Regina was in the car with Henry and they were both heading to her house. Her day at work had been really busy, but now Henry was telling her about his new turtle called Arnold that he got as a gift from David.

"A turtle named Arnold?" Regina asked, astounded. She could have come up with 15 thousand better names than that.

"Yes. I named him myself. Did you like it?" He asked her, looking at her with inquisitive eyes.

"Sure." She lied. If there was a poll on the worst-turtle-name-ever, she was pretty sure it would be Arnold.

"Good." Henry smiled. He loved that he got approval from his mom. He kept silent for a few seconds, before adding. "Mom, as you know today is the Mines Day Party. I thought we could go together, what do you think?"

"Oh Henry, do you want to go with me?" Regina asked surprised. She felt happy that Henry wanted her company, even if she had to endure all those people.

"Yes, of course. You were invited. And also, this way is easier because we can go straight from our house tonight." Henry said and Regina agreed. He did have a point. It would be better because he could dress up at her house and both could go together and this way he would spend more time with her, instead of her having to drop him off at Emma's as it was agreed earlier.

"Oh that's great! I'll call Emma to let her know you will be going with me then." Regina answered.

Well I guess someone is going to that party after all…

**END OF CHAPTER 10 **


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! Happy New Year! I hope you all have a wonderful 2014. This chapter is one of our favorites and I hope you will all like it. There is a cool scene between Robin and Regina when he is teaching her Archery. And there is a special surprise for the Mad Queen shippers! LOL.. Please keep sending reviews! And thank you for your comments. Next update should be soon. =)**

**CHAPTER 11**

"I know I asked you this many times, Henry, but I need to know." Regina says, holding two dresses in front of herself. "The green one or the black one?" she asks her son.

"I like them both. You would look beautiful with whatever, but I think I would go for the black one." Henry answers, sitting on her bed while she decided what to wear for the party. He knew her mother loved to dress up for these events, but he had a feeling that this was not the whole story.

"Thanks, Henry." She smiles, looking in the mirror and thinking about shoes and jewelry to match the dress. She wanted to look drop-dead gorgeous, especially now that she was going to see Robin.

She went to take a shower while Henry was in his room playing video-game. The party was only at night but Regina knew that if she wanted to make it there in time she would have to start getting ready really early. Only God knows how long it takes for her to be ready for anything.

Today was a big day for Robin. After he finished his classes for the day he went straight to the place where the Annual Mine Party was happening. He brought a change of clothes in his backpack so he could change later on when the party started. Right now he was wearing a comfortable jeans and a t-shirt that he had changed at the school. Even though he was sad that Regina wasn't going to show up at the party, he had plans in his mind to surprise her later that night. He was helping the Charmings with the decoration, the chairs and the food. His day was really busy and the time was passing by really quickly, but all he could thing about was Regina. What was she doing right now? He knew she had her son with her today, as he had seen her earlier picking him up at school and they both seemed really happy, but he couldn't stop thinking about how he wanted to be with her. Suddenly Snow's voice takes his head of his day-dreaming state.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asks, with a worried expression.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why?" He answers, worried that his expression was showing too much.

"Nothing, you just seem a little off today. Are you worried about Roland?" She asks, clearly noticing his uneasy face.

"No, I just talked to Ruby, Roland is fine. She will bring him here once the party starts." He smiles.

"Robin, what is it? You can tell me. I'm you friend, right?" She says, glancing at him sympathetically. Robin froze for a moment. He loved Snow, they had history together and after all they have been through in those woods when she was a bandit he considered her like a little sister. But he also knew how Regina felt about Snow, and he knew that they would never be together if he had any sort of friendship with her. He had to find a way to balance it, so he just said:

"Yes, you are. But don't worry Snow, there is nothing wrong, I'm just really tired. I've been up all night because Roland couldn't sleep. That's it." He lied. It was truth that he couldn't sleep well last night, but it was not because of Roland. Roland was a little angel. The real problem that took away his sleep at night was a gorgeous brunette woman.

"Oh, but is Roland ok? What happened?" She asked.

"You know kids, right? There are days where they just decide that sleep is overrated." He looked at Snow and they both laughed. She left him alone and they both went back to their activities.

Now it was almost time and they were all finished. Most people that were there had gone to their houses to get ready, but not Robin. He took a shower right there at the lot and changed. He was now wearing his usual fairy tale land clothes. It was Snow's idea, since he would be in charge of the Archery Camp, that he would wear his old Enchanted Forest clothes.

The guests were arriving. This place would soon be crowded. There were small tents around the party selling all types of handcrafted products, clothes, candles and food. As people arrived, the party took form. There was a camp for people who wanted to practice Bow-and-Arrow that Robin had set up, with the help of the dwarves. "Something to remind people of home" Snow had said when she came up with the idea a few days before. The camp was large and had many targets all spread randomly. People were already gathering around to play and many of them were already skilled shooters. Robin was supervising the whole thing. He was around to help the ones who didn't know but usually he just sat and watched. Ruby arrived, bringing Roland with her, who immediately jumped into his father's lap.

"Did he give you much trouble?" Robin asked Ruby, while opening his arms for his son.

"No, not at all. He is a great kid" Ruby answered and Robin smiled.

"Wow, the party is great. You did a great job, Robin." Ruby said,

"Thank you. Many people helped, they were all great." He smiled.

"I think I'm going to eat something, would you like to come with me?" She asked, looking embarrassed.

"Sure." Robin answered. He didn't have anything better to do anyway. Maybe if he just went with her the party would end faster.

Now they were enjoying the party, meeting people and having fun. Robin found himself making new friends because of his great personality; he didn't have any trouble at all about making people like him. He was naturally welcoming and charming. At one point he sees people glancing at something behind him. He follows their gaze. Suddenly, he stops at his feet, he can't hear anyone anymore. It was as if the world around him now didn't matter. His eyes were now focused on the one thing that could make his heart jump out of his chest: Her. The whole environment for him was happy now that Regina Mills slowly entered the party.

Regina knew she must have caused some impact upon her arrival, as usual. She couldn't tell if it was because she was feared and hated or it was because she was stunning. Maybe it was both. She had Henry with her, who went straight to the Charmings once he spotted them. She was now alone again and her eyes curiously searched the whole crowd. It was not long before she saw Robin standing in a corner, with his son and a group of people around him, including that Ruby bitch. "_Wow, she really waists no time_" she thought. He appeared to be having fun and she couldn't help but feel slightest disappointed. The selfish part of her half-expected him to be all miserable without her presence. But she also knew that he was a great man. There is no way people wouldn't like him.

She slowly approached the tents and noticed that his eyes were now fixed on her. He was smiling, like he had just seen an angel. All she wanted was to go talk to him but she knew that this couldn't happen. No one knew about them and she preferred it stayed that way. So she went to the first tent and pretended to be interested in some hand-made lamps.

Robin kept watching her walk around. She was wearing a black dress, with long stockings and high heels and to finish the look she wore a white coat with a red scarf. Her hair was down and her make up was lighter. She looked like she was a runway model. Her face glowed somehow and it would never cease to amaze him how her beauty was evident. The voice if his four year old son takes him out of his reverie.

"Daddy, look. It's Regina!" He says, jumping out of Robin's lap, taking him by surprise, and going straight to her. Robin ran after him.

"Wait, wait Roland. Slow down." Robin said but before he reached the boy he was already running towards Regina with his little arms opened, smiling from ear to ear, excited.

"Regiiiiiiina!" The boy screamed and Regina turned around to notice the boy. She opened her arms and welcomed him to her arms.

"Roland! You're so big. You've grown so fast. How are you?" She says, smiling and kissing he little boy on the cheek.

"I'm good." He answered, snuggling her. Regina knew she probably had a few curious eyes on her but she didn't care. This boy was adorable and everyone knew that she loved kids. Besides, she genuinely cared about Roland.

"So, have you been playing a lot with your knew toys?"

"Yes, I love them." He answered while playing with her hair.

"Good because I have more. I was cleaning my house the other day and I found a bunch of other toys and clothes to give to you. How about that?" She asked the boy, touching his nose, playfully. The boy simply nodded, with a happy and excited expression.

Robin was right behind them, watching them interact. It was so amazing how Regina had managed to captivate the boy. Robin knew this was a hard thing to do since his son was a very closed kid and he still hadn't gotten used to being around that many unfamiliar people. While he watched both of them talk he started thinking. Regina treated the boy like he was her son. She would always ask Robin about the boy whenever they met and she was always so sweet to him. Roland needed that. He had always been around Robin and his group of Merry Men, he never had a female presence in his life and Robin never thought it would be necessary. But he couldn't have been more wrong. Of course Roland needed a maternal figure in his life. Every child does. Maybe that's why Roland warmed up to Regina, maybe that was what was missing in his life. He needs someone like Regina. He needs a mother figure. They could be a family, and now he had no doubts that they were right for each other. Suddenly, Regina, for the first time since he got there, addresses him.

"Wow, Robin. You look fit in those clothes, although I think you look better on modern clothes. What made you come to the party dressed like this?" Regina asked, referring to his Enchanted Forest costume.

"Glad you liked it. It was Snow's idea." He said, noticing how Regina instantly changed her expression.

"I bet it was." She sarcastically added.

Regina continued talking to Roland on her lap, noticing how Robin kept watching both of them with a huge smile on his face. Somehow now they were both talking about horses.

"Yes, I do." Roland answered Regina when she asked him if he wanted to go to the stables with her someday. Roland had told her that he was still learning how to ride horses, but he was really small to ride on his own yet.

"Great, then. It's been a while that I don't ride either, so I guess we can both have fun together. What do you think Robin? Is that alright with you?" Regina turned to face Robin and smiled.

"Yes, we can see about that. I'm pretty sure I can arrange a time and take both of you to ride. I'm really good, you know." Robin answers, smiling.

"Well, dear, don't think much of yourself. I may be out of shape but I'm pretty sure I can kick your ass on a race." She smiles, sassily.

"Oh, is that a challenge?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.

"You bet it is!" She answers and both laugh.

"I can't wait then. It's a deal!" Robin says and before Regina can say something, Roland shouts, pointing at something.

"Look, what is that?" He asks curiously as he points out the cotton candy tent.

"This is a cotton candy, Roland" Regina answers. "It is made of sugar. Do you want one?"

"Yes!" the boy answers and the three of them head to the tent to buy the candy for the boy.

Regina is so caught up in the moment that she fails to notice how they are walking around together with Roland on her lap, which would drag unwanted attention to the couple, as eyes were already starting to notice something quite unusual about the Queen's behavior around Robin and his son. She seems almost happy.

Neither of them realizes it, but now people are starting to talk. Curious eyes watch them as they seem to be so comfortable around each other, which is weird, since they haven't even spoken before, right?

The three of them are talking while Roland is happily eating his cotton candy. After a while, Regina notices the Archery camp.

"I bet this was your idea." She says, pointing her head in the camp's direction.

"Yes, it was." Robin lied. It was Snow's idea, but he didn't want to bring that up after her reaction when he mentioned Snow the last time. He starts noticing how people are having fun there. "I have to supervise this whole thing and help them. Do you want to join in?" He notices how her eyes look at him in shock.

"No, I prefer to stay back here and only watch." Regina answered, while Robin started to prepare to teach a few people who were now in line waiting for the instructor, which was him.

She kept watching him carefully explain to them how to hold the bow, how to shoot, and she noticed how patient he was, if it were her there, she would have probably _accidentally_ shot someone in the face. Now she was noticing a group of four girls around him. They were practically throwing themselves at him and their proximity bothered her. "_How can these women behave so recklessly? Don't they have any self-respect? This is absurd" – s_he kept thinking. One of them touched his biceps. "_Oh my, I guess I will shoot someone in the face today, and it won't be an accident."_

After a while, Regina began noticing how the ladies were becoming more and more interested in him. She started speaking to the other people around waiting in line, out loud this time.

"This is ridiculous, look at that. These skanks are not interested in learning archery; they are pretty much interested in the instructor." She said, while people looked at her. Some of them were even agreeing. "This is a waste of time, since they are all a lost cause anyway." She added, outraged, crossing her arms. She wasn't doing a good job in hiding her frustration.

"What about you Madam Mayor? Would you like to give it a try?" Robin shouted, smiling.

"Well, I can't shoot bows and arrows to save my life" She answers as matter-of-factly. "I'm just not good with these things. It requires a lot of patience, which I obviously don't have. Besides, I have self-respect."

"Oh, come on! I can teach you. And it's about time I pay you back for teaching me how to use a cellphone." He winked at her. "Let's go, it's going to be fun." He said, trying to hide his amusement of the fact that she was dying of jealousy.

"No, thank you. Not going to happen. I will take Roland for a walk while you let these hookers grab you." She turns around to leave. Robin was disappointed, but he knew exactly what to do.

"Fine. I don't think much would come out of it anyway." He said, shrugging. "Archery requires great skill." He finally said, turning around to wait for her rage that was certain to come.

"Excuse me?" She stopped, looking at him furiously. "Are you saying that I don't have skills?" She spat and Robin smiled inside. He knew this would work. Again, both of them were completely oblivious to the fact that everyone was watching them, astonished.

"No, of course not. I'm just saying that you are right. I don't think you would be so good at it."

"I can be good at this, if I wanted to. But I don't want to, that's all."

"Right." Robin sounded almost delighted to see her reaction. There were times that Regina was easy to read and he already knew that her pride would never allow her to dismiss a direct challenge.

"You don't believe me?" She said. "I can prove it. Let's go, then." She said, walking straight to the camp. Robin followed right after, amused. Mission accomplished.

When they got to the camp, Robin immediately went to the practice spot with Regina looking attentively. He shot a few arrows and showed her how it was done.

"This is how you hold the bow." He says, while showing her how to do it. "With your left arm you hold the bow, this is also called the bow arm. With your right hand you hold the bowstring, drawing it to your face, like this. Your body has to be perpendicular to your target, and your feet must be placed shoulder-width apart. Your eyes have to be focused on your target and when you're ready, you shoot." He said, shooting the arrow and hitting the exact center of the target with perfection. Regina kept watching closely and mentally taking notes of everything he said and did. Now it was her turn. Robin gave her the bow and stood behind her.

"What do I do?" She asked, while he held her from behind, guiding both of her hands to hold the arrow and to avoid any accident. Robin was standing so close that Regina could feel him breathing in her neck.

"Hold it like this." He said, holding her arms firmly, the space between them was almost non-existent. Regina would never admit it out lout but she loved that proximity. It had something almost safe in it, like he was protecting her, guiding her. To her surprise, she felt extremely comfortable. "Now aim at your target right there." He said. "When you feel secure enough you let go. And try to stay as still as possible."

Regina now was holding the arrow in her hands; her eyes were focused on the target, which was not really far. She couldn't quite concentrate as she should because both his arms were involving her and the heat of his body was making her lose her breath. She could still feel the hot air from his breathing down her neck and this was driving her crazy. He was so close that if she slightly turned her head to the side she would feel his lips on hers.

"I think I'm ready to let go." She said, feeling butterflies on her stomach.

"Alright then. Slowly loosen your fingers. Eyes steady in your target." He said.

Regina lets go of the arrow, which passes _really _far from the target, hitting the wall next to it. She exhales and tries to hide her frustration.

"I told you this wasn't going to work. You distracted me." She said, turning to him, smiling mischievously.

"How in the world did I do that?" He asked, trying to make sense of what she was saying.

"You holding me like this. I can't concentrate."

"Oh, okay! I will keep my distance, then. Sorry you didn't like it." He smiled at her, waiting for her response.

"I never said I didn't like it." She winked at him.

"Let's get out of here. I will ask someone to replace me." Robin said, pulling her by the hand.

"Finally!" She said, following him.

They were now walking around the place, looking at the tents and Robin noticed a tent selling candles. Snow was in charge of this tent. Regina followed Robin's gaze and rolled her eyes.

"What a stupid idea. Who is going to buy candles? She is an idiot." Regina spat, with a disgusting expression.

"Oh come on! Let's buy one. The money goes for charity! And besides, they might come in handy. You never know." Robin said, trying to calm her down.

"I'm not buying anything from that tent. You can go. I will wait here." She said, watching from afar while he approached Snow's tent. She knew Robin was friends with Snow and they had a history together. Part of her wanted to think it was harmless, but another part of her didn't want her to be near him, especially because she was partly responsible for Daniel's death. The last thing she wanted was for Snow to ruin this one too. She was still watching Robin and Roland buy candles when she hears a familiar voice behind her. She jumped at the sight of him; she never thought she would see him again.

"Your Majesty, it's been so long!" Jefferson said, approaching her.

"My dear Jefferson, it's been so long indeed. The last time we spoke, if I recall correctly, was when you almost let my son die and then released Belle to make Rumplestiltskin kill me." She said sarcastically with a smirk on her face.

"Let's not hold on to the pass, please! Many things happened between us." He said, coming closer.

"Many things indeed!" She smiled. She knew exactly what he was referring to.

"Not that I'm complaining." He said, gently touching her arm. "You used to be so ferocious. I miss that fire."

"I still am." Regina replied, "And that fire is still here." And both of them laughed.

"We should get together sometime; maybe remember the past a little. What do you think?" He said, caressing her face, looking quite excited.

"Well, you were the one who said we shouldn't hold on to the pass." Regina answered. "But now I don't do that anymore, Jefferson. I have a son." She says, trying to hide her face from his sight.

"Well, I don't remember you being so shy. In fact, you were anything but shy. Remember when you asked to see me, saying it was urgent, and when I got there you were completely nude, waiting for me in bed?" He comes closer and whispers to her ears. "I miss those days."

"You were really good, I will give you that." She answered and both of them laughed again. Regina failed to see Robin approaching both of them with suspicious eyes until she heard his voice.

"What are you two laughing about? What is the joke?" He said, smiling, but his tone was dead serious. Regina and Jefferson laughed, embarrassed.

"Oh, nothing much." Jefferson answered, touching Regina in the arm again. "We were just remembering the old days. Let's say we have a history together. A quite hot one, right Regina?" He said, looking at her with a devious smile on his face. Robin didn't need anything else to understand what went on between the two of them.

"I still don't see the joke." He said, looking at Jefferson with an _I will kill you with my eyes_ stare.

"I still remember you, Robin. You used to wear those funny clothes. And apparently, you're still wearing them." Jefferson said in a mocking tone, pointing at Robin's clothes. "But I'm afraid I must go. It was nice to see you, Regina." Jefferson said, walking out and leaving Regina and Robin alone again.

"So, you two know each other?" Regina asked him, confused.

"Yes, he is an idiot who used to glorify himself because he could travel between realms. He is a self-serving son of a bitch." Robin said, angrily. "And what is up with you and him?"

"It's just… well, we have a history together." Regina answered. As much as she liked his little jealousy attack, she didn't want to give much explanation about her past doings. "But I don't want to go into details."

"Oh, is that so? Because I think he was pretty explicit in his remarks. And don't think I didn't notice him touching you or whispering things in your ear." Robin said, enraged.

"Look who is having little jealousy attacks now!" Regina said, smiling. She couldn't help but laugh at his rage, she thought it was cute.

"I just don't like seeing this prick holding and touching my woman." He said, still angry.

"Your woman?" Regina exclaimed, astounded.

"Yes, Regina. And of course I am jealous. I am in love with you." He said, grabbing her arm.

Regina froze. This came like a shock. She knew he felt something for her, obviously, but hearing it swept her off her feet. This was so sudden, it happened with no previous warnings, nothing. All she could do right now is try to find the words to say something. He broke the silence:

"Listen Regina, I should go back to the Archery camp. They are calling me again." Robin said, feeling sad that he had to get away from her.

"Of course. Listen, I think I'll go home now. It's starting to get late and I don't want to stay here any longer. I know you have some lessons to teach, so I'll see you tomorrow." Regina said, giving him a kiss in the cheek. "I do owe you a dinner anyway, right?" She said, smiling.

"Yes, you do. And I can't wait." Robin said while she said goodbye to Roland, who gave her a big hug.

Roland went with his father to the Archery camp, while Regina went home. This was a great night and she couldn't believe how much fun she would miss if she stayed at her house. Thank God Henry asked her to come with him. She was still conflicted about his confession of love for her – at the same time she was happy that she had someone she also feared she wasn't worth it. She had done awful things in her life and she would always have enemies. She would always be a target and the people she cared about could end up paying the price.

After his job at the Archery Camp was over, Robin decided to have a drink in another tent nearby. Ruby had taken Roland home, as it was his bed time. Ruby was a great friend for Robin, and she was helping him with Roland whenever he needed to work. He sat at the counter and spotted a blonde girl casually sitting there alone, having a drink. He knew who she was by sight, he had seen her in events before. It was Tinker bell. He smiled at her when he noticed her eyes on him.

"Hey, I have already seen you before around here, but I think we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Tinker Bell!" She said, stretching her arm to him.

"I'm Robin." He said, shaking her hand.

"So, what brings you here? Broken heart?" She asks, afraid that she would ruin the moment. Tink had been watching him with Regina the entire day. She felt happy that her friend was getting to know someone. And by the looks of it, they were already into something. But she also knew Regina was a complicated woman, with a trouble past. She was now determined to help as much as she could. He just needed to trust her enough to open up.

"Well, not exactly broken. But what made you say that?" Robin asked, curious.

"You have that face." Tink answered. "That face we all have when we have troubles in our minds. And judging by the fact that you are here in this tent, having a drink, I would say that is about love."

"And you are right. Sometimes love feels so easy and sometimes it is so complicated." Robin said, looking down at his drink.

"Humm.. go on." Tink said, urging him to speak up.

"It's just that I am in love with someone and I keep getting mixed signals from her all the time. This feeling is driving me mad and all I want is to make her see it. Make her feel my love."

"Do you believe in destiny?" Tink suddenly asked, making Robin look at her surprised.

"Yes." He answered.

"Then I guess you have the answer to your worries." Tink said, standing up to leave. "I think you worry too much. You should just let it happen. Things don't happen by chance and I'm sure that it will work it out. You do your part, and let the rest unfold."

"I guess you're right." Robin said.

"Let make this a toast. To love, in all its pain and all its glory" She said, raising her glass.

"To love." Robin answered, raising his.

"I should go. I was nice to meet you." Tink said before leaving. She had planted a small seed in his mind. She did her part.

"You too." Robin answered, finishing his drink.

Somehow everything Tink said hit a nerve on him. It made sense. It was not an accident that he was brought to this land, that he met her at the ball and his heart immediately skipped a beat, and it was certainly not a coincidence that his son Roland seemed to have had a great relationship with her. If this was indeed written in the starts, he would make his life's mission to make Regina the happiest woman on the planet.

Regina got home and went upstairs, directly to her room. She didn't want to look at Henry's room and see it empty again. It always hurt her to know that he didn't live there anymore, even though he was spending more time with her. She shrugged these feeling off and walked into the bathroom. She was washing her face when suddenly the power went off. She searched for a flashlight and made her way downstairs again to make sure that this wasn't an attack. She looked at the window and realized that the whole down was in the dark. It was a blackout in the entire city, apparently. She made an annoying face and sat on the sofa with the flashlight. She opened the window to let the moonlight in. Suddenly she hears a knock on her door. She freezes for moment. But she also knows that her house is protected with a powerful spell. She looked through the window and smiled. She opened that door to see Robin outside her door, holding the two candles in his hands.

"I told you they could come in handy." He said, smiling, while she opened the door to let him in.

Regina smiled, closing the door when he walked in. Now she knew, she was sure: Robin was the man who came to rescue her from the darkness.

**END OF CHAPTER 11**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! Thanks for your reviews! Please keep them coming! Next chapter will be awesome! Hang in there! Xo**

**CHAPTER 12 **

"What a nice surprise!" Regina exclaimed, while Robin handed her the two big candles.

"I thought you would like it. I felt horrible about the way things turned out at the party. I didn't want to upset you." Robin said, referring to his little jealousy attack.

"You mean when you said you were in love with me?" Regina said with an embarrassed smile, looking down.

"But I am, Regina." He approached her, slowly placing his hand on her chin to make her look at him in the eyes. "I am completely in love with you."

Both stared awkwardly at each other for a while. Regina approached Robin and hugged him tight. She wanted to feel the warmth of his body against her again and Robin allowed her to rest her head on his neck. He gently kissed her on the top of her head and could feel the smell of her apple shampoo. He knew she still felt uncomfortable with his sudden love declaration but he was giving her space to sort things out on her own. Right now she felt confused, and he expected this from her, but he also knew that she was opening up more. A few minutes went by until Regina slowly raised her head to look into his beautiful blue eyes:

"I'm afraid I don't have anything to eat." She smiled. "But I suppose we could adventure in the kitchen and prepare a meal for both of us." She added.

"I have an idea. How about I make dinner for both of us while you lit the fireplace?" He said, holding her waist firmly with both hands, still keeping her at his arm's reach.

"I'm not sure I can trust you alone in my kitchen." She smirked.

"Come on, I'm a great cook." Robin said, giving Regina a quick kiss on the lips. Surprisingly Regina didn't flinch, instead she smiled. She was growing accustomed to his touches and kisses. Actually, now she couldn't imagine her life without them anymore.

"So, you're spoiling me?" Regina smiled, putting both her arms around his neck.

"Yes, I am. You are a Queen after all." He brushed a string of hair from her face, putting it behind her ear.

"No, I'm not a Queen anymore." She said, remembering her old miserable life as Queen.

"To me, you are. And I'm going to treat you as such." Robin answered. "Now, if you excuse me, I have a delicious meal to prepare." He said, making his way to the kitchen. He opened her kitchen cabinets, trying to find something useful to make a delicious meal while Regina observed carefully. He looked around, separating the ingredients he found. He already knew what he was going to make.

"What are you preparing?" Regina asked, approaching him with curious eyes.

"I am making spaghetti." Robin smiled.

"How in the hell do you know how to make spaghetti?" Regina asked inquisitively. Spaghetti doesn't exist in the Enchanted Forest and she wondered how he managed to get familiar with it.

"Granny taught me. I am living there at the Inn, remember? I help out as much as I can and sometimes she teaches me a few things." He answered.

"But how do you know I like spaghetti?"

"I guessed. Besides, you have all the ingredients here at your house and I highly doubt you would buy them if you didn't like it." He said.

"Good point. And what am I supposed to do exactly?"

"Lit the fireplace." He smiled. "And then you can relax. I got this."

"Sure." She said, turning to leave. As long as he didn't set fire to her kitchen, it would all be alright.

Regina lit the fireplace in the living room and she could hear thuds all over the kitchen. It was obvious that it was not a good idea to prepare a meal in the dark, but hopefully now that she lit the fireplace, more light would go into the kitchen. She sat on the couch and kept watching Robin in the kitchen. Suddenly she sees a pan lid flying across the place and hitting the wall hard. "_Dammit, if he doesn't set my kitchen on fire, he will definitely trash it."_ Robin looked at her with apologetic eyes and mumbled something about the blackout. A minute goes by and she sees him hit head his head in one of the kitchen cabinets. She started laughing. It was pretty funny seeing him all clumsy preparing a dinner in the dark. After a few more thuds, bumps and _"I'm fine" _declarations from him, she stood up.

"Ok, that's it. I don't want you to fall into a coma or set my kitchen on fire. Let me help you." She approached him. "What have you done so far?"

"I'm almost done. I just need to finish boiling the sauce." He said, showing her the saucepan. He grabbed a spoon and sipped it in the sauce. "Here, try it." He splashed the sauce on her opened hand. She tasted it.

"Hmm, that's good. I'm surprised." She smiled.

"I think is ready." He said, picking up the pasta to mix with the sauce.

"I think I should help you with that." Regina said, holding down the saucepan firmly so he could put the pasta on it.

This whole thing was begging for a disaster. Robin wasn't careful enough and the minute the pasta hit the saucepan, sauce splashed all over the place. Both started laughing really loud as they had sauce all over their faces.

"You have sauce on your face." Regina burst out laughing, pointing at his face.

"You too." Robin did the same and both started laughing. As Robin raised his hand to clean his face, Regina stopped him.

"Wait, let me help you." She approached him and started taking the sauce off his face with her lips, giving him small kisses, provocatively. Robin closed his eyes.

"Oh Regina. You're killing me." He suddenly grabbed, pulling him towards her and gave her a huge kiss. It was so sudden that both of them lost their balance and fell on the floor, still laughing, with her on top of him.

They sat there for minutes, on the floor, laughing at each other, before they got up and noticed the mess they had made on the counter.

"Oh my, we can't clean all this right now. We can't really see anything, it's too dark." Regina said. "Let's eat, maybe the lights will be back on by the time we finish."

"Regina, you're such a teaser. You don't know what you are doing to me." Robin said, joining her. She looked at him and smirked.

"I think I know." She said, kissing him on the cheek.

They sat down in the kitchen, while the candles enlightened the room. They couldn't keep their eyes of each other.

"A candlelight dinner. This was better than I expected." Regina said, looking around the room. The candles on the table lit his perfect face, across from her. "This is delicious." She said, referring to the spaghetti.

"I told you I'm a great cook." He smiled, still keeping his eyes on her the entire time. "So…" He continued, very carefully, "what about the guy you were in love with?" He asked, concerned about her answer. He didn't want to invade her privacy, but he needed to know.

"Daniel?" Her eyes sparkled when she mentioned his name, even after all these years. "He was my great love. My first love, my first everything." She looked down at her plate, she didn't like to resurface these memories, they were too painful.

"When you say he was your first _everything_, you mean…"

"Yes. I lost my virginity to him." She takes a sip of her glass of wine, watching his reaction carefully, before continuing, "Daniel was a gentleman. He gave me relief in the mist of living with an abusive mother and a submissive father. He was my little heaven, a place to escape the hell I was living in." She smiles, remembering how Daniel made her feel and then shivered when she remembered how it all ended so abruptly.

"Wow, Regina, you are really different from the other women." He said, almost amused. He knew Regina was different from the moment he saw her, but it amazed him how much she was ahead of her time even then.

"I know. I believe that was the reason why the King despised me so much." She said and an expression of pain crossed her face. Robin noticed it. He knew how painful it was for her.

"Well, you did the right thing, you know? You gave yourself to the man you loved. You should not regret it." He said, smiling sympathetically at her.

"But I don't." She smiled sadly and Robin decided to change the subject. He would give Regina the love she lost again. He was determined. He would make her feel desired, wanted, welcomed. If she'd only let love in.

The spaghetti was indeed good and both of them enjoyed it. It's been a while since Regina felt this comfortable around someone. As they ate, they shared stories about their children when they were babies. Raising a kid as a single parent was one of the many things they had in common. Dinner went smooth; the conversations were basically about their kids or their jobs. Robin happily told her about how his students seemed to love him. Regina didn't have any doubts they would. For these few hours they forgot about the blackout, they forgot about their worries or their past tragedies. Right now, the only thing that mattered was each other's company. After they finished, Robin stood up, like a gentleman:

"Let me get this, my Queen." He said, taking the dishes to the sink.

"Oh no, Robin, let me do the dishes. You've done so much already." Regina said, getting up and following him.

"Listen, tonight I'm spoiling you. Just let yourself be spoiled for a change, huh?" He said, winking at her, playfully.

""Well, I will prepare a drink for both of us, then. I will meet you at the living room."

While Regina prepared a drink, Robin washed the dishes. The living room where they were was dark and the fireplace was now the only light shining in the room. The environment was perfect. Robin had been watching Regina carefully, and even now, lightened only by the moonlight and the fireplace in front of her, she looked perfect. Regina finished preparing the drinks and sat on the floor, on the carpet, in front of the fireplace. Robin joined her right after, sitting right next to her. Both of them were now sitting quietly on the floor, looking at each other's eyes, until Regina finally broke the silence:

"I really liked today. It made me feel, I don't know… special." Regina said

"You are special." He said, smiling, still looking into her eyes. He found that it was really hard to deviate from her beautiful face. It was almost like he was hypnotized.

Robin watched Regina as she looked down to the glass on her hand. She knew she was retreating again. Was it because she thought she wasn't worth it? Was it because she wasn't sure of her feelings? Or was it because she wasn't sure of _his_ feelings? He knew Regina still had some refrains and he didn't want to bring that up, but he felt like it was necessary for them to move on with their relationship. He loved this woman and he would not give up on her. He waited a moment before finally speaking.

"Regina, I want to talk to you. For real, this time. I see that sometimes you are holding something back and I want you to tell me what you're afraid of. Because I am invested in this relationship, Regina. I want to make it work." He said seriously and he noticed Regina flinching, almost as if she knew this was coming. She let out a deep breath, still looking down, never taking her eyes of the glass on her hands.

"You're right." She finally spoke, carefully considering the words she was going to say. "It's just that I…" She stopped for a moment. "…I haven't had someone in a while. I am so used to being alone that I don't know how to do this." She said, trying to stay as calm as possible. Her heart was almost jumping out of her chest.

"Regina, I think you worry too much." Robin said, mirroring Tink's words to him earlier. "We both suffered losses in our lives but that doesn't mean we need to close ourselves."

"Robin.." She says, finally looking into his eyes. "…The thing is, I was the Evil Queen. I have done terrible things in my life and I have many enemies. I will always have people that want revenge. And you may be caught in the process of their revenge."

"You know what I've learned in my life? We can't leave in fear and we can't be stuck in the past. They remind us of where we've been, they don't dictate where we're going."

"I know, it's just that… every time I think I am finally going to be happy, something happens. It has been like this my whole life. People I care about often get hurt or get killed. I can't do that with you and Roland. You don't deserve this." Regina says, looking down at her untouched drink again.

"I don't know why you have these thoughts on your mind. I am here now. And I am going to protect you and Roland from any harm." Robin said, reaching for her hand. Regina sighed and considered his words for a moment. She took another long pause before saying:

"Once my mother told me 'Love is Weakness'. I never understood why she would say this about such powerful feeling. But now I know what she meant. Love doesn't make us weak, it makes us vulnerable, because as long as we love someone, we will always put them above everything else, and your enemies can use that against us."

"I don't see it as a bad thing Regina. I think you are wrong. I think the only reason we stay alive every day is because of the people we care about. If we have no one, what is the point of living?"

"I know. I'm not saying that is bad to have someone. I have Henry and my love for him changed me in a lot of ways. But when I was the Evil Queen, I lived alone in my castle and I despised everyone as much as they despised me. I knew that I could be killed any time and that no one, apart from my father, would care. They would probably have a celebration over my dead body. Somehow it was easier living like this, because my focus was only revenge and, to be honest, I never thought I would live this far. I didn't have any dreams or expectations and I often wondered what I would do with my life once I finally got my revenge on Snow."

"Well, but the point is, were you happy living like this?"

"No, I wasn't. I thought that once I got my revenge I would be happy but I was wrong."

"It's never too late to start over." He said, caressing her face. "You can have a new life Regina. A new life with me, Roland and Henry."

"Yes, I guess so. I have given up so many things in my life." Regina declared, suddenly remembering about the man with the lion tattoo that was supposed to be her true love. Where would he be now? Tink had said she ruined his life too and she wondered if he was still out there somewhere. She paused for a moment, thoughtful, took a deep breath and asked: "Robin, do you believe in destiny?"

"Yes, I do." Surprisingly enough, it was the second time he heard about destiny today. "I believe in destiny and fate, but I also believe we can make our choices." He said and Regina couldn't stop wondering what would have happened if she had gone in that bar and met her supposed soul mate.

"Me too." Regina agreed, remembering the moment she chose not to go in. It was her choice. She could have been happy all this time instead of living a lonely life full of hate and misery.

"And I believe it more, now that I met you." Robin said, holding both of her hands. "I believe you were put in my life for some reason."

"I'm starting to think that too." She smiled, welcoming his touch. For a moment she was feeling sad because this man with the lion tattoo was supposed to be her true love. But now it didn't matter. Robin was right. We have choices. And she made one when she decided not to go inside that bar. She does have a choice. And she will choose Robin.

"You know, you look beautiful in the moonlight." He said, touching her soft skin. Her heart jumped out of her chest, again. The way she felt every time he touched her reminded her of her times with Daniel. She looked into his eyes:

"Robin, I need to tell you how I feel." Regina said, seriously. She wasn't used to opening up, but this was an honest conversation after all. "Since you appeared in my life, things have happened so fast. My life is not the same anymore. I haven't felt like this since Daniel."

"Regina…" He said softly, but Regina interrupted him.

"Wait, I need to say it." She said, grabbing his hand and holding it firmly. "I feel butterflies in my stomach when I know you're near and every time you touch me my heart skips a beat. Sometimes I am left speechless, and trust me, it never happened before." She paused, with a shy smile, while he admired her with a huge smile on his face. He leaned over and gave her a kiss.

"And I want to make you feel like this for the rest of my life." He paused, gently pulling her hand to his lips and kissing it. "I don't have any doubts anymore, Regina. I know now, I am sure: we are made for each other. "

For the first time Regina felt she was ready. She could be happy after all. She pushed the glasses aside and approached his face slowing, never removing the eye contact. She started kissing him slowly at first but then the kiss became more passionate as he held her waist firmly. Their tongues started massaging each other again, playfully, around each other and their bodies became more and more intertwined. She pulled him towards her as she lied down on the floor, so now they were both lying on the floor and he was on top of her. She put a hand on his chest and started to unbutton his shirt, while he streamed kisses around her neck. He realized what was happening and broke the kiss; his body was on flames, but still he took a moment to look her in the eyes and whisper:

"Are you sure about this, Regina?" He asked. He wanted her so bad, but he needed to know that it was right.

"Yes. I have never been so sure of anything in my life." She looked back straight into his eyes, making sure that he knew. She was finally ready. This was the time to start being happy at last.

**END OF CHAPTER 12**


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